dreamcatcher
Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for
British Columbia: A BCreative 2012 Conference Report
ROWLAND LORIMER
Copyright © Rowland Lorimer, 2013
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Electronic monograph in PDF format.
Published by the Canadian Centre for Studies
Issued also in print format (ISBN 978-0-9738727-9-8).
in Publishing Press (CCSP Press)
515 West Hastings St.
ISBN 978-0-9738727-8-1
Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 5K3
1. Cultural industries—British Columbia. 2. Creative abilThis publication and its parts may be reproduced, stored in
ity—Economic aspects—British Columbia. 3. Arts—Economic
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process
aspects—British Columbia.
– electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise –
I. Lorimer, Rowland, 1944-
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Email: ccsp-info@sfu.ca
front Cover image:
Heidi Waechtler, M.Pub. (candidate)
Iva Cheung, M.Sc., M.Pub.
Mauve Pagé, M.Pub.
Solid Sphere, a sculpture by Brent Comber,
photo by Carrie Marshall, courtesy of the artist.
back Cover images:
Tim Lee: Remokes, Variations (1741–2049),
exhibition view at Presentation House Gallery, photo by Erik Hood
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
(left); Art installation by Jan Peacock, Reader by the Window, photo
Dreamcatcher [electronic resource] : towards a creativity/
by Robert Keziere (middle); and conductor Charles Barber with
innovation strategic plan for British Columbia : a BCreative 2012
soprano Phoebe MacRae, photo by Adam Abrams, courtesy of City
conference report / Rowland Lorimer, director.
Opera Vancouver (right).
acknowledgement
A great many people and organizations contributed to the development of the BCreative 2012 conference, including
sponsors, presenters, advisory committee members, and colleagues. But the person who ran the conference and
was solely responsible for a good many exciting and productive elements is Suzanne Norman, M.Pub., Director of the
SFU Publishing Workshops.
We wish to acknowledge directly the generous financial contribution of a number of sponsors:
contents
executive summary • 5
FULL REPORT: introduction • 9
bc’s working creative economy • 10
A literature-based overview of creative activity in bc • 12
conference report: a sample of activities
of the creative economy • 19
Day 1 of bcreative 2012 • 19
Day 2 • 27
Program and policy foundations • 36
anticipating the sunrise • 39
A general framework for a creative British Columbia: towards a strategic plan • 39
The nature of support • 41
A unifying discourse • 42
concep tualizing the beginnings of a strategic
creativity/innovation plan for British Columbia • 47
What works • 47
recommendation • 51
Coda • 53
appendix A • 55
Presenters to the conference and session chairs • 55
Advisors to and staff of the conference • 56
references • 58
index • 60
An easterly view of Mount Cheam
taken from Limbert Mountain.
photo by stephan baker.
courtesy of Picture bc.
4 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation
Strategic Plan for British Columbia
executive summary
convening of a conference, BCreative 2012, initiated by
the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing at Simon Fraser University. The conference
was convened to consider the development of the creative economy of British Columbia.
Besides encouraging creativity for its own sake and increasing the general benefit of British
Columbians, the creative economy has much to offer a relatively non-diverse, resource-based
economy in a flat world of low-cost-labour–driven international trade. It also offers other
indirect benefits, such as the building of social capital and social cohesion, alongside the
strengthening of BC’s tourist economy.
The conference revealed a vast array of creative activity throughout the province
supported, to some extent, by the province through the BC Arts Council and Community
Gaming Grants, and also supported by BC’s municipalities at a higher level than is customary
in the rest of the country. Conference participants were treated to impressive presentations
by well-established creative professionals, such as architects, as well as pleas for recognition
from other groups, such as the fashion industry. Participants also learned of initiatives in
other jurisdictions, such as Ontario, Paris, the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD), and various cities around the world. Particularly notable were
small-city creative economy dynamics as well as a number of studies documenting the
notable impact in terms of participation and job creation in such centres as Kamloops,
Campbell River, Richmond, and Victoria.
From an official perspective, as of 2012, British Columbia paid little attention to the
creative economy. Very few statistical analyses have been undertaken at the provincial
level, and support for creative undertakings has been funneled through the BC Arts Council
augmented by Community Gaming Grants—these being the two main features of the government’s cultural policy. From an economic or industrial perspective, the province has seen
fit to invest in sectors that appear to be job- and wealth-creating winners rather than in the
sector as a whole. Its emphasis on “screens” (inclusive of film and video, video games, and
computer-based media) is a high-risk strategy that does not consider the ecology of creative
production where cross-fertilization among creatives can result in a vibrant dynamic.
The relative lack of attention to and of facilitative policy for the economics of the
creative sector is somewhat surprising given its estimated employment of 85,000 people (not
including volunteers, making it the second largest of BC’s six major industrial sectors), its
generation of $4 billion in economic activity (the fifth-largest sector in the BC economy),
May 11 and 12, 2012, saw the
5
The Bella Coola River winds
its way into the waters
of North Bentinck Arm.
photo by michael wigle.
courtesy of picture bc
its current growth trajectory (increasing faster than the general economy), and its potential
to strengthen BC’s tourism sector. Both BC and the federal government provide low levels
of support in comparison to other provinces in Canada. As a PricewaterhouseCoopers study
has indicated, “the global entertainment and media markets are poised to undergo rapid
transformation and growth that will be driven by rising incomes in the developing world,
converging technology platforms, and changing demographics.”
The challenges of the BC environment, particularly in Vancouver, were outlined in other
presentations, notably those by Vancouver’s city planners, who outlined their space agenda,
part of the Culture Plan for Vancouver 2008–2018. This is an initiative to create low-rent
space for artists throughout a very high-rent city. The possibility of a British Columbia Media
Development Corporation was also broached, supported by a report calling for its founding.
The presence of education and training programs in the province for various creative subsectors was noted, as was world-renowned BC aboriginal artistic production.
In retrospect, despite relative inattention to the sector by government, there is a great
deal of creative activity that takes place throughout the province by individuals and within
many geographic, ethnic, interest, and age communities. Two sets of actions could assist
measurably in British Columbia taking advantage of the potential inherent in such activity.
First is the recognition that, like any sector, the creative sector of British Columbia
requires supportive infrastructure investment. In that regard, cultural subsidies to artistic
activity not only serve cultural policy; if handled well, they can also serve economic development. As well, in such creative industries as publishing, music, and filmmaking, it is also
critical to provide investment for the continued development of stable industries as they
transition to the digital world.
Second is the creation of a branded strategic plan consisting of a long-term campaign to
organize, recognize, and enhance creative production, in part by tying it to creativity more
broadly—which is to say, to innovation. It is proposed that by creating a brand such as
Creative Beautiful British Columbia and facilitating a very public campaign of recognition
and support, creativity in BC could move to the centre of British Columbians’ consciousness and become a primary identity element of the province and its society. Were that to
happen, creativity itself would be enlivened, participation in artistic and creative events
would increase, tourism would be enhanced, and growth of the creative sector over the next
decades would be catalyzed.
6 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
Conductor Charles Barber rehearses
with soprano Phoebe MacRae. p h o t o
b y A d a m A b r a m s . c o u r t e s y o f CITY
OPERA V ANCOU V ER
introduction | 7
Fariba Mirzaie, Shadow,
wearable textile art:
newspaper, thread, small
pieces of recycled fabric,
stitched with tight zigzag, 2012.
Courtesy of the artist.
8 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation
Strategic Plan for British Columbia
Full Report: introduction
attention worldwide from
economists, planners, policy analysts, and members of the creative community coincident
with its growth in both developed and developing economies. Developed nations have
been examining potential opportunities in stimulating economic growth in the creative
sector in a world where competitive advantage in manufacturing falls to economies with
low labour costs and underdeveloped social and environmental controls on the impacts of
manufacturing. The examination of the creative economy has been focused on, at times,
the knowledge-based industries; at other times, the copyright- and other intellectualproperty-based industries; and at still other times, the creative sector. Most analyses note
the connection of these sectors to information and communications technologies (ICT)
development. Attention to the creative sector has been particularly intense in cities, partly
encouraged by awareness and the dynamics of clusters, which has led to increased roles
for cities as socio-political sites of action. As well, planners, policy analysts, and innovators
have become aware of the advantages of a focus on the creative sector in addressing social
cohesion amidst immigration; the challenge of engaging in economic activity with minimal
environmental impact; and the provision of services to, and the encouragement of consumption among, the aging baby-boom demographic.
The opportunities for the development of a creative economy in British Columbia are
not so much as a replacement for decline in manufacturing but as a means for
>> encouraging creativity for its own sake and for the benefit of society and the
human spirit;
>> addressing the opportunities provided by a well-off aging and consuming
demographic;
>> addressing the socialization and social cohesion needs of an immigrant
population;
>> diversification of a resource economy;
>> building social capital; and
>> strengthening a tourist economy.
The creative economy has been receiving increased
This paper reviews the overall nature of the creative sector of BC, pointing out that
a strategic plan might benefit from embracing both creativity and innovation. After
9
summarizing many of the presentations of the BCreative 2012 conference, it then outlines
some basic elements for developing a strategic creativity/innovation plan for the province.
bc’s working creative economy
Creative activity is a basic existential reality beginning in individuals and families and
extending throughout society. It is manifest in talent groups, such as writers, artists, potters,
fashion designers, and musicians. It takes on distinctive forms in geographical, ethnocultural,
and interest communities. It is nurtured in creativity-based enterprises, such as publishing
houses and art galleries, and in Canada by all levels of government. It can also be found in
all sizes of businesses, professions, trades, and ethnic and religious institutions and organizations. As a reading of Richard Florida’s works makes clear, it is difficult to be aware of the
full manifestations of creativity in society, especially as a secondary element within other
activities. Consequently, it is difficult to be aware of the many different creator-representing
organizations. Creative activities and innovative thinking are ubiquitous and constant—
even in our minds as we sleep.
With respect to geographic BC communities, the current membership of Arts BC (formerly the Assembly of BC Arts Councils) includes “90 community and regional arts councils
from every region of BC.”1 With respect to an overlay of talent groups and ethnocultural
communities with geographic communities, there are “over 110 individuals and arts organizations engaged in community based arts that span a multitude of artistic disciplines and
practices.”2 The following listing of BC Arts Council funding programs gives a sense of the
many different types of activities that are sufficiently broad to warrant a distinct subcategory
of support.3
O P E R AT I NG ASSI ST ANC E
Arts and Cultural Service Organizations
Music Organizations
Arts Periodicals
Professional Arts Festivals
Block Funding for Book Publishers
Professional Arts Training Organizations
Community Arts Council Assistance
Public Museums
Dance Organizations
Theatre Organizations
Media Arts Organizations
Visual Arts Organizations
P R O J E C T ASSI ST ANCE
Aboriginal Arts Development Awards
Capacity and Sustainability
Arts Periodicals
Community Arts Development
Arts-Based Community Development Program
Community Arts Festivals
10 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
Media Arts Organizations
Professional Literary
Music Commissioning Awards
Professional Music
Museums and Visual Arts Organizations
Professional Theatre
Professional Arts Festivals
Special Project Assistance - Co-op Placements
Professional Arts Training
Special Project Assistance - Innovations
Professional Dance
Title Assistance for Book Publishers
AR TS AWARDS F O R I NDI V I D UALS
Professional Development Assistance
Project Assistance for Visual Artists/Crafts
Project Assistance for Creative Writers
Artists/Critics/Curators
Project Assistance for Media Artists
Scholarship Awards
Vase influenced by the Pine
Beetle forest devastation,
by Linda Doherty of d bar d
TOUR ING ASSI ST ANCE
Artists in Education
studios. P h o t o
Touring Initiatives
by Dennis
Doherty. Courtesy of
Community Presenters Assistance Program
the artist.
SU STAINAB I LI T Y
Capacity and Sustainability
This list reflects the wide mandate of the BC
Arts Council but captures a very limited subsection of the creative sector. Numerous other
subsectors, including the professional creative
subsector, abound. For instance, the Architectural
Institute of British Columbia boasts 1,691
members; has a licensing system for architects;
administers fees, fines and charges; and operates
under a specific provincial statute.4 Landscape
architects, on the other hand, have 360 members
and they, too, operate under provincial statute.5
In contrast, the BC Industrial Design Association lists 34 members.6 Looking elsewhere, the
Federation of BC Writers has over 750 members.7
And actors have three associations to choose
from: the Union of BC Performers; the Alliance of
Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists;
introduction | 11
[Bernard Momer] reported that
the direct, indirect, and induced
economic output for which
the creative sector in Kelowna
could assume responsibility was
$143.8 million in economic activity.
and the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.8 These
three areas are a mere beginning.
While this vast array of activity is impressive,
finding organizational evidence for cross-fertilization
among various elements of the creative sector in
British Columbia is more difficult. Yet obviously, it exists in the cognitive and aesthetic
contemplations of creators themselves. An online search of activities and organizations
of that nature turns up only one sparsely populated personal website called the Creative
Sector Council, run by Judi Piggott,9 rather than an organization of organizations with a duly
ensconced executive director.
a literature-based overview of creative
activity in bc
In trying to gain a comprehensive overview of creative activity within an economic and
human-resource framework, we can turn to several helpful studies. The first is Statistics
Canada’s Economic Contribution of the Culture Sector to Canada’s Provinces.10 That study
indicates that BC’s cultural GDP, as defined by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS),11 increased each year between 1996 and 2003 and that by 2003,
the contribution was 4 percent of GDP. While in 2003, employment was 78,000, in 2010,
PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated the sector employed 85,000 people and generated $4 billion in economic activity,12 a larger per capita value than in any other province. This growth
took place despite an 18 percent cutback in provincial spending on culture over the same
period,13 bringing BC to the second-lowest place in spending per capita by the provincial
government.14 Adding to this apparent paucity of support, per capita federal spending in
BC was also among the lowest in the country (less than half of what the federal government
spends in Ontario).15 On the other hand, BC municipalities spend more per capita on culture
than any other province.16
In 2010, UBC geography professor Bernard Momer undertook an economic-impact
assessment of the creative sector in Kelowna,17 a follow-up study on a 1998 initiative. He
reported that the direct, indirect, and induced economic output for which the creative sector
in Kelowna could assume responsibility was $143.8 million in economic activity. Contribution to GDP was $73.3 million18 and the sector generated nearly 1,300 jobs and paid out
$57.1 million in wages. This translates into 9.9 creative sector jobs (7.3 full-time-equivalent
jobs) per 1,000 inhabitants in Kelowna (as compared with 7.8 per 1,000 in 1998). As Momer
notes (p. 6), while he considers his data reasonably thorough (based on a 27 percent response
rate), a preferred method would be comprehensive cultural mapping.
12 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
A further understanding of Momer’s data can be obtained from the list of categories of
individuals and organizations he surveyed, which he expressed in terms of full-time workers:
Table 1. Full-time-Equivalent Kelowna-based Workers in Arts and Culture
Work Category
FTE
Art instruction and education (post-secondary)
197
Service providers
175
Commercial arts (graphic and commercial design)
162
Cultural facilities
88
Performing arts
82
Visual arts
48
Art galleries and dealers
48
Societies and associations
37
Events and festivals
22
Literary arts
12
The manner in which Momer converted part-time jobs into full-time equivalents is a
standard procedure of BC Stats even though it may not be entirely justified in reality. Each
part-time job was assumed to be 49 percent of full time. Based on provincial wage averages
and some reporting, he calculated the average F TE wage to be $43,426. This, in all probability, is high. As Momer points out, among other things, it reflects the high incomes of graphic
and commercial designers, some above $90,000. It also reflects the relatively high salaries of
the numerous (n = 197) post-secondary educators included as cultural workers.
Quite appropriately, given that 3.6 percent of BC’s citizens aged over 15 years volunteer
for arts organizations,19 Momer examined data on volunteerism in Kelowna and reported
that 4.3 percent of its citizens volunteered, adding $3,485,476 in labour value.
A parallel economic-impact analysis was carried out in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, yielding, in direct results, “1,128 person years of employment, $52 million in wages,
$63 million contribution to GDP, and a $135 million contribution to the economy.”20
Several points are germane in considering these studies. First is that with the exception
of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) study (discussed in more detail below), their focus
is on cultural activities and industries rather than the creative sector as a whole. Following
the definition of the United Kingdom’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport, PwC
expands the focus of its assessment to include “those industries which have their original in
individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth creation through
the generation and exploitation of intellectual property.”21 Specifically, the document lists
introduction | 13
the following as being included: advertising; architecture; arts and antiques; broadcasting;
crafts; design; designer fashion; video, film and photography; interactive leisure software;
music; performing arts; publishing; software, computer games and electronic publishing; and
radio and TV. Notably, this list does not include the retail sales of items such as CD s and
books. This exclusion is consistent with the NAICS classifications. That activity is captured
as retail activity.
While more recent figures than the 2003 figures used by StatsCan and PwC are unavailable, it would appear that little has changed in BC to the present day. Certainly spending
on the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad in 2010 would show as a blip, but in the aftermath
of that extravaganza, severe cuts to arts and cultural funding were so unpopular that the
government reversed most of those cuts.22,23 Indeed, in the preparation for BCreative 2012,
conference organizers were told that the government’s interest was in “screens”: those of
the movies, video players, and computers. As with harvesting trees, the profitability of these
subsectors of the creative economy suggests that there is an obvious advantage to such a
policy. But in the long run it is hardly a strategic approach given the potential there is in
cross-subsectoral fertilization (more to follow on this).
The available data on the nature and extent of the contribution that individuals and
institutions involved in creative activity make to British Columbia is sparse indeed. Consistent with this lack of information is the lack of strategic planning documents directed at
exploiting this resource, now a significant contributor to jobs and provincial GDP.
The creative sector and other major sectors of the BC economy
The emergence of the overlapping creative, information, and digital economies, as well as
employment trends, calls for a new vision of economic and social development in the province. Some comparisons highlight the reasons. Using CANSIM data and PwC projections,
PwC identified six major sectors that contribute to provincial GDP. 24 From the smallest to
the largest in 2007, they are:
>> utilities: ~$3.3 billion
>> the creative sector: ~$4 billion
>> wood products and manufacturing: ~$4.4 billion
>> mining oil and gas extraction: ~$4.5 billion
>> agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: ~$4.6 billion
>> accommodation and food services: ~$4.6 billion.
It is interesting to see how the creative sector compares in size with BC’s other major
industries. As we consider the figures, it is important to know that it appears that the
14 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
accommodation and food services sector includes the retail element, whereas the creative
and other sectors do not.
Also noteworthy is the number of jobs each sector creates. Job creation does not correlate in any significant way with GDP contribution. Here the creative sector shines with the
generation of nearly 86,000 jobs (2007 figures). Only one other sector surpasses the creative
sector: accommodation and food services. As well, the creative sector is one of only three
sectors out of six that generated far more than 75,000 jobs each: the other three each created
20,000 or fewer. They are as follows (listed in the same order and using 2006 figures):
>> utilities: ~$3.3 billion, 11,250 jobs
>> the creative sector: ~$4 billion, 85,757 jobs
>> wood products and manufacturing: ~$4.4 billion, 38,620 jobs
>> mining oil and gas extraction: ~$4.5 billion, 20,250 jobs
>> agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: ~$4.6 billion, 76,485 jobs
>> accommodation and food services: ~$4.6 billion, 180,060 jobs.25
Given such differences, leaving aside the government provision of transportation
infrastructure to remote areas for many resource-based industries, the impact on the environment, and the diminution of non-renewable capital assets of the province in some other
sectors, it would be worthwhile to look at government spending in support of each sector.
Unfortunately, that information is not readily available and making an estimate would go
beyond the resources available for the preparation of this report.
introduction | 15
Carol Sawyer’s Book Stack
Poems. A component of
Memory Palace [3 artists
in the library], Vancouver
Public Library, 2008. P h o t o
courtesy of the artist.
banner installation photo
by Robert Keziere.
[The] creative sector represents
an ecosystem in which storytellers
feed filmmakers who inspire
musicians who create events that
find their way into writers
imaginations—and so the wheel turns.
Government spending in support of each sector
should also be considered in the context of growth
as well as contribution to jobs and GDP. Between
2002 and 2007, new media, radio and TV broadcasting, publishing, advertising, and design all showed
growth in GDP contribution with only sound recording, and film and television production
trending downward. As well, between 2001 and 2006, all creative industries saw increases
in employment.
As the PwC study notes, in reference to BC, “the global entertainment and media
markets are poised to undergo rapid transformation and growth that will be driven by rising
incomes in the developing world, converging technology platforms, and changing demographics.”26 In short, while favourites can be chosen (for example, digital games or film), and
digital media lead the way in terms of growth, to some degree, the creative sector represents
an ecosystem in which storytellers feed filmmakers who inspire musicians who create
events that find their way into writers imaginations—and so the wheel turns.
Taking into account the physical beauty of the province together with its relatively
benign climate, the likelihood of continued migration inflows, the established aesthetics
of native culture, and the value of imaginative participation in the modern age, conceiving
of the future of British Columbia as one that will be focused on the continuing exploitation of mineral and natural resources and the running of utilities, seems ill advised from
societal, environmental, and employment perspectives, to say nothing about the interests of
young people entering the workforce. The talent and training foundation, and established
participation of young people in established creative sectors, is already in place for virtually
all the creative sector. To take full advantage of the creative sector, BC needs a framework
of understanding, a strategy, and a plan with a set of achievable goals and objectives that
builds on the established strengths and ambitions of the province and its citizens.
The concluding overview of the PwC study identifies two types of creative activity that
BC could target. The first is building service exports: exports of professional creative services
to foreign investors who themselves are targeting a growing and wealthier world with
greater access to technology. An example of this is contributing to foreign films made in
BC. The second is a higher-risk option: becoming a provincially based production centre of
operating in world markets while maintaining ownership of the means of production as well
as the product. An example is producing and owning films. PwC believes an overriding goal
must be chosen but that building service exports is essential, as is appropriate policy, to the
evolution of ownership and intellectual property exploitation.
These are not the only two possibilities. A third is to embrace creativity and innovation
16 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
as a defining element of British Columbia’s society and economy to generate internal
participation and spending that will lead to locally and globally oriented creative industries
as well as multiply tourist visits and spending.
The PwC study also argues that the province needs to distinguish between cultural and
economic policy. While superficially, this appears to be obvious and true—because each
policy area trends towards a different result—such policies are complementary and both are
needed. Moreover, as explained further into this paper, very little analysis exists to indicate
whether a cultural strategy might not, in the long term, be the best economic strategy (or
vice versa). That said, from an economic perspective, which is the focus of the PwC study,
government investment in infrastructure and education to familiarize British Columbians
with technology can lead to stimulation of sophisticated demand and an environment
fostering innovation.
PwC argues that the family of policies that BC used to build film and television services
could assist the interactive games industries. As video game development has faded in the
few years since the report, but interactive technology has spread throughout publishing,
education, and general internet-based technologies, such a family of policies need not be
confined to the restricted and dwindling games market. Indeed, later in its concluding statements, the PwC study advises that the historic distinctions made in BC between the various
creative subsectors, with only some receiving favourable treatment, is counterproductive.
And showing its perspective clearly, it argues that cultural content regulations should be
dropped in favour of what it calls “merit-based public funding” (where “merit” means “economic performance”). Such a view ignores the fact that long-term success is often anchored
profoundly in cultural content that the producers know intimately.
The PwC study also points out the importance of successful large anchor companies
around which an industry can be built. Even with policy in place, formally defining the sector and measuring its progress is critical to planning. The study notes the need for BC Stats
to create a creative sector satellite account. Pointing to instances of local business leaders
and their firms achieving some success but being bought out before reaching the highest
levels, the study does not address the degree to which cultural content can counteract the
temptation for individuals to cash in. It concludes: “While BC currently produces world class
content and has the education system to sustain the flow of talent, what it lacks are business
leaders capable of taking businesses to a global scale, world leading technology infrastructure, innovative distributors, or a culture of technological adoption.” More recent events
in the games industry, including the shuttering of offices in favour of a move to Ontario,
suggest that the lack of such business leaders may be traceable to a lack of a provincial
creative economy strategy.
introduction | 17
Two Rivers Gallery
in Prince George. p h o t o
by ricardo alberto lieva.
Courtesy of picture bc
18 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
conference report:
a sample of activities of the creative economy
mainly of the economic activity of the
creative sector. While not methodically representative, the proceedings of BCreative 2012
provide a wide variety of down-to-earth examples of the nature and extent of creative activities within a wide variety of subsectors and are illustrative of the range of activities in which
British Columbians are engaged. The following review summarizes some of the main points
that the conference/showcase brought forward.
The above studies represent a bird’s-eye view
day 1 of bcreative 2012
HootSuite
In the opening plenary session, Ryan Holmes’s description of the development of HootSuite,
the enormously successful Vancouver-based startup company, pointed to significant parallels
with other creative sectors while illustrating the notable difference of having ready access to
investment. Holmes observed that there exists in British Columbia a substantial labour pool
of skilled and talented people capable of working in teams to create and run a successful
enterprise. Although, being Vancouver-based, HootSuite exists outside well-known hightech clusters such as Silicon Valley, Holmes stated that for HootSuite, the blessings outweigh
the disadvantages: HootSuite is distinct in BC, competition in the local labour market is less
intense, many British Columbians have made a lifestyle choice to remain in the BC market,
and the more limited dynamics of the local market tend to encourage labour continuity
rather than firm jumping for financial incentives (which adds costs related to training and
loss of productivity). Also parallel with other sectors, Holmes has found that much of his
capital has not come from BC but from venture capital located elsewhere. HootSuite’s success has certainly been inspiring and its “exception to the rule” status may work well for the
firm, but an industry cannot be established based on exceptions.
Small cities
Many see the creative sector as an element of large cities. However, many instances around
the world demonstrate the contrary case. In British Columbia, for example, world-renowned
aboriginal art is perhaps BC’s most well-known creative export that is not a feature of any
metropolis but rather of production located throughout the province on and off (Indian)
reserves. Recent development of a wide range of creative production in the Okanagan that
19
builds on the creativity inherent in winemaking, including Canada’s signature icewine, has
also made a splash inside and outside the province and the country. Similarly, the wide
range of creative production on BC’s various Gulf Islands in arts and crafts, woodworking,
literature, painting, and specialty production of food and drink, is also well known.
Representative of creative-sector dynamics in many small cities throughout the province
were presentations by Walter Jakeway, mayor of Vancouver Island’s Campbell River, and
Peter Milobar, mayor of Kamloops. Jakeway’s presentation, like that of his colleague Milobar,
gave conference participants a sense of how closely integrated city-facilitated events were
to the life and population of their cities. Most notable in the case of Campbell River was the
high participation level of the aboriginal population—particularly appropriate in an area
that remains an important site of aboriginal culture. Among other points, Milobar’s presentation emphasized strong voter awareness, and participation in the creation and financing
of cultural venues and the high level of support that appeared to engender. Both presentations reminded large-city dwellers of the powerful dynamics of coincident geographic and
creative communities.
Urban space and architecture
The level of inspiration of the first two sessions was heightened even further by developer
Michael Geller and architect Roger Hughes. Geller’s round-the-world tour provided a sense
of the myriad facets of the human imagination as expressed in buildings and the creation of
urban spaces, and of the power of aesthetic concern and such simplicities as applying a coat
of paint. His illustrated talk also emphasized how social engagement animates public space
once it has been created, while a lack of social engagement can create a net negative. In that
context, Roger Hughes’s review of some of the public projects of Hughes Condon Marler
Architects was a highlight for its illustration of the soaring of the human spirit in creation
and of the experience of buildings and spaces that becomes possible for users when design
is the starting point of function. In the context of the struggle for recognition of many other
creative subsectors, there are substantial lessons that can be learned from the establishment
of architecture and design as the beginning point for public buildings and private dwellings
and an overall shaping of the built environment. The complement of landscape architecture
and interior design should also be noted.
Provincial policy
Perhaps because British Columbians have been blessed with a magnificent geography
that has historically made a very strong contribution to defining the province, governing
provincial political parties have never developed a cultural strategy let alone a creative
20 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
economy strategy. At various points in history, provincial governments have taken an interest in world-level events such as the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, the
Expo 86 World’s Fair, and the 2010 Winter Olympics. Provincial policy has also supported
book publishing, digital games, and film and music production. But, as noted, no overall
conception has informed such support, and hence, an overall strategy and key policies and
programs for achieving set goals do not exist. British Columbians were reminded of that lack
of a fundamental rationale by the wholesale cuts to arts and culture funding after the 2010
Olympics that were only reversed after months of public pressure.
In 2012, for the first time on record, the NDP brought forward and publicly discussed
the possibility of a coordinating agency that would oversee development of certain creative
sectors, including the cultural industries. At BCreative 2012, the NDP’s cultural critic, Spencer
Chandra Herbert, discussed the possible creation of a BC media development corporation
that would invest in the development of such cultural industries as music, film, and book
and magazine publishing, following the model of the notably successful Ontario Media
Development Corporation (OMDC), focused on the creative industries. In a larger, creative
sector context, this is a limited, although undoubtedly welcome, change in the political
discourse. Such an organization, like the BC Film Commission, would help create a stable
infrastructure for the development of at least part of the creative sector in British Columbia.
In a separate session, Ida Chong, British Columbia’s Minister of Community, Sport and
Cultural Development, reviewed the manner in which the ministry and the BC government
supported both Simon Fraser University (the conference host) and arts and culture, including
spending $53 million on arts funding in 2010/11. Minister Chong also noted that cultural
development and the arts play a key role in community success, in part by creating jobs,
encouraging tourism, and strengthening local economies. The minister highlighted the roles
of the BC Arts Council, Community Gaming Grants, and the ministry itself in supporting
film and TV production, museums, and cultural activities and events. With regard to future
conference report | 21
Architecture model. I m a g e
courtesy of Hughes Condon
Marler Architects.
plans, Minister Chong noted that that the government is engaged in ongoing consultation
and plans to pursue a strategic review of BC’s screen-based industries and to continue to
meet with other sectors on a quarterly basis.
Branding, microeconomic challenges, and the nature of creative production
Brand management consultant Todd Falkowsky reminded participants of the power of
branding and the applicability of branding to both Canadian and British Columbian cultural
production. Such branding could readily be incorporated into provincial policy.
Knowledge integrator consultant Judi Piggott offered a paper focused on the microeconomics of cultural production, noting that information about how individual artists generate
income and sustain themselves is a necessary complement to macroeconomic data. These
data are captured to some extent in employment and income studies conducted in recent
years, but they tend to be discipline specific. Piggott’s paper brought forward an issue that
informed the planning of BCreative 2012: whereas the macroeconomics work well for the
economy and society in general, the microeconomics of creative production do not work
well at all, as the average income of artists and the closure of the Vancouver Playhouse point
out in spades.
The early afternoon of the first day gave participants a chance to appreciate a sampling
of creative work by artists and others concerned with creativity. In a combination of text
and slides, potter Linda Doherty discussed and illustrated the many factors that influence
ceramics in British Columbia, including history, technology, the environment, teachers, and
mentors, with the most common influence being nature. Quoting Doris Shadbolt, a past
curator of the Vancouver Art Gallery, she noted, “There is openness to the environment here
(in British Columbia) that makes it freer for people to be open and inventive.” Fibre and
printmaking artist Julie McIntyre reminded participants of the need for the establishment
of a resale right for artists. It is stunning, in these days of patent wars, that artists in Canada
still lack any benefit from resale of their work. Within a much different frame, writer Anna
Lidstone presented on her program of coaching for creativity.
Digital technology and the creative sector
Various technologies are disrupting and hence transforming established creative practices.
Particularly notable are the changes that have been brought to the music industry, video
distribution, and publishing. Peter Armstrong, founder of Leanpub.com, outlined the role of
Lean Publishing in facilitating self-publishing an in-progress ebook. The operations of the
company are based on the idea that, in many ways, publishing a book is parallel to launching a startup. It’s a risky, highly creative, and highly speculative process, undertaken by one
22 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
Nelson, also known as the
“number one small art town”
in Canada, is home to the
Kootenay School of the Arts,
the Capitol Theatre and the
Art Walk. P h o t o
by phil best,
courtesy of picture bc.
conference report | 23
or a few people, often in stealth mode, and funded by external parties (venture capitalists
for startups, publishers for books). Because of its creative and speculative nature, it is easy
to create something that nobody wants. In the startup community, the Customer Development and Lean Startup ideas of entrepreneur Steve Blank and startup methodologist Eric
Ries have risen to prominence, offering a roadmap to avoid the common pitfall of extensive
investment in the absence of demand. Leanpub offers a similar roadmap to authors. Following the modus operandi of startups, authors can test ideas by publishing early and often,
listening to their readers, and being guided by their comments in the development of the
work of the author. Given the number of books that fail to pay publishers’ costs, let alone
return any significant reward to the author—and indeed, given Peter Grant and Chris Wood’s
contention that across many creative industries (including music, film, and TV shows) “all
hits are flukes”—the Leanpub model may offer a promising emergent industry practice.27
Allyson McGrane of Left Right Minds discussed the ins and outs of an online magazine,
Plank Magazine, the aim of which is to “encourage intelligent, critical dialogue amongst arts
enthusiasts, and people working in the cultural sector.” It is focused on Vancouver, Toronto,
and Victoria. “Community creator” Angela Crocker explored the power of creativity to foster
and nurture a sense of community through shared experiences, collaborative works, and
group participation, with a focus on belonging and isolation as related to community in BC
and on where sharing and creativity have been effective or ineffective.
Of Paris and the development of infrastructure: Of Toronto as a world
creative-sector-affirming city
In the later afternoon of Day 1, May 11, participants were treated to a 200-slide presentation
by Patrick Cocquet, CEO of the Paris-based technology firm Cap Digital and Vincent Gollain,
chief economic development officer of the Paris Region Economic Development Agency.
The two left no doubt about the French government’s determination to build creative clusters in the suburbs surrounding Paris, beginning with an inter-cluster transportation system,
augmented by municipal regulation, and energized by the opportunities that are being made
available—largely in the digital sector—by both the private and public sector. The presentation opened the eyes of participants to public policy focused on the digital creative sector
and the advantages of ready capital access and population density.
From Paris to Toronto: While the French presentation gave participants a sense of the
life a digerati might expect in Paris, using facts and figures, the Ontario Media Development
Corporation’s CEO, Karen Thorne-Stone, drew a portrait of the development of Toronto as
a world cultural production centre. The creative sector in Ontario is the fifth-largest sector,
contributing $12.2 billion to the province’s GDP. This is larger than energy, agriculture and
24 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
forestry, and mining; it is smaller than the financial sector, overall manufacturing, ICT, and
auto manufacturing, the last contributing $17.8 billion. The sector’s growth between 2000
and 2007 outpaced the growth of the general economy by a factor of more than 2 (38 percent compared with 17 percent).
The role of the OMDC is to assist with economic development of the sector with
emphasis on innovation, cooperation, and the promotion and marketing of Ontario as a
world leader in the creative sector; it also serves as a catalyst for R&D. The OMDC delivers
a wide range of programs, including $290 million in tax credits. It directly invests in certain
sectors, assists in export development, facilitates film projects through the film commission,
provides market intelligence, and supports audience building.
A return to small cities and a plea for labour as a resource
The first day of BCreative 2012 ended on an academic note with English professor and
cultural community researcher Will Garrett-Petts reporting on his research into art and the
public sphere in shaping the cultural ambiance of small cities. Noting the increasing recognition of artists for their role in shaping the idea and identity of cities by giving form to the
physical and cultural landscape, Garrett-Petts and his students elucidated the role of artists
as key agents in this development. In counterpoint to the ebullience of one of his partners,
Kamloops mayor Peter Milobar, Garrett-Petts noted how fragile the link between the arts and
perceptions of quality of life can be and how artists can advance cultural knowledge (what
the community knows about the arts), cultural trust (the community’s support for the value
of the arts), and cultural participation (the community’s level of arts activity), and in so doing,
contribute to the development of a creative community. Taking quite a different perspective,
communications professor Will Straw documented the discourse used by public officials
over the years in describing nighttime economies. Straw took particular note of the increasing legitimacy of nighttime activities as a jobs and economic-activity generator and of the
advantages that can accrue from the provision of services to address and develop nighttime
economies in ways that were consistent with the values of citizens. To some extent, Straw’s
presentation highlighted the general issue underlying much of BC provincial policy: there is
a lack of recognition that the return on public investment in creative production across all
subsectors reaps a reward that is a multiple of that investment.28
Italian architect Massimo Manzoni ended the first day with an analysis of the advantages of community-inclusive, design-based thinking that incorporates labour availability
as a resource rather than treating it as an afterthought to the investment of capital and the
creation of wealth for a few.
conference report | 25
Art installation by Jan Peacock:
Reader by the Window, 1993.
Presentation House Gallery,
North Vancouver. P h o t o
by
Robert Keziere.
26 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
day 2
The creative economy and world economies
Economist Edna dos Santos could be described as the mother of worldwide creative
economy development as a result of her co-authorship of two major UNCTAD reports,
in 2008 and 2010. She reviewed the first report for participants and responded to questions
that arose from it. As its title suggests, Creative Economy Report, 2008 – The Challenge
of Assessing the Creative Economy: Towards Informed Policy-making, the first UNCTAD
report addresses the nature of the creative economy, pointing out
>> its ubiquity in all societies, hence the need for informed policy responses;
>> its contribution to international trade of all nations;
>> the inability of some developing nations to harness their creative economy;
>> the need for a multi-sectoral approach to achieve development goals;
>> the importance of intellectual property rights for capitalizing on creative industries;
>> the complementary role of information and communication technology
in production and distribution; and,
>> the need for strategic choices.
The second report, Creative Economy 2010 – Creative Economy: A Feasible Development
Option, explores
>> concepts surrounding and intrinsic to the creative economy;
>> linkages between the creative economy and the green economy;
>> the organizational structure of the creative economy;
>> current methodologies and economic indicators;
>> the extent and dynamics of international trade in creative goods and services;
>> the dynamics of protectionism;
>> the role of information technology and connectivity;
>> the need for nation-specific policies and the role of networking and collaboration;
>> the impact of global trends; and
>> specific policy options.
The creative industries: Contribution and a policy proposal for BC
Mark Jamison, CEO of Magazines Canada, began this session with an illustrative overview
of the extensive reach of Canadian magazines and the community-building role of the
thousands of titles published in the country.
Jamison conveyed the largely unheralded success of Canada’s magazine industry, an
industry composed of over 2,000 different titles that share virtually total market penetration
conference report | 27
in the sense that nearly every Canadian peruses at least one issue of a Canadian published
magazine each year. The story of Canadian magazines is impressive. Just a few of the sector’s
accomplishments include the following findings:
>> eighty-five percent of print subscriptions sold in Canada are for Canadian magazines;
>> magazine reading is strong in young demographics;
>> overall, Canadians prefer Canadian content platforms;
>> magazine media brands drive purchase intent; and
>> readers often take action after reading a magazine.
In the face of these and 235 pages of additional facts that reflect the contribution that
magazines make to Canadian communities, Jamison noted that Canadian governments could
pursue a number of policy initiatives to build maximum benefit for Canadians. They were:
>> increase investment in magazines to match the contribution levels that other sectors
make to the Canadian economy;
>> identify capital tools appropriate to the industry by choosing from among such
alternatives as tax credits, backstopped loans, and seed contributions;
>> endeavour to augment in-career training in the pursuit of the connection of skills
and opportunities to remain at the leading edge of markets and to grow permanent
employment;
>> align environmental policy with the economic realities of production where imports
pay a fair share of recycling programs;
>> respect copyright as the legal foundation for media enterprise (fair-dealing practices
that undermine media commerce are of no overall benefit to Canada);
>> develop information foundations that media industries require to understand their
ecosystem and allow them to grow their contribution to Canadian society.
The national priorities of various creative industry subsectors are the foundation for
national growth of the creative economy. At the same time, various subsectors within
each province can benefit from distinctive programs to address local realities. Just prior to
BCreative 2012, four of BC’s cultural industries released a joint report, From the Margins
to the Mainstream, calling for the development of a creative cluster by “creating a climate
for business development and sustainability in the creative industries.”29 Citing existing
literature, and illustrating with examples of BC companies, including digital media companies and individual creators, the report makes several recommendations. It begins with
the overall recommendation that the BC government reimagine its commitment to the
creative industries and specifically work in partnership with those industries to develop a
28 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
cross-sectoral, three-year strategy for the creative industries in BC involving
1. the formation of a secretariat with representation of all relevant ministries
and industries to focus on the development of all creative industries;
2. a review of all models from all jurisdictions;
3. the targeting of
>> R&D,
>> project development funding,
>> marketing and export development,
>> attraction of venture capital,
>> skills retention, and
>> entrepreneurial skills and talent development;
4. the founding of a BC Media Development Corporation to serve creative
industry clients;
5. the establishment of indicators of success including
>> contribution to GDP,
>> job creation,
>> the enhancement of market share via digital media,
>> the fostering of innovation,
>> the improvement of company and tax revenues and wages, and
>> the incubation of new company creation.
Such goals are consistent with the thrust of this report.
Fashion: An often-neglected creative sector
A lively discussion by various representatives of the fashion industry focused on the means
by which this infant industry could be nurtured. World Trade Organization rules have gutted
Canada’s clothing and textile industry, forcing surviving elements to pursue design-focused,
high-end, eco-sensitive markets in which fair labour practice adds value. In response to
downsizing by traditional Canadian clothing manufacturers, fashion designers are pursuing
niche markets through high-end retail outlets and the internet. Success has come without
recent provincial and municipal assistance that would have been welcomed and could have
assisted in building industry-wide momentum. While grants and government support were
available during the 1990s, when these were cancelled, no other means of funding replaced
them. Two separate industry initiatives, Apparel BC (a fashion tips website) and Fashion
High (a continuing studies initiative of Kwantlen Polytechnic University), have had difficulty
maintaining their operations and hence their assistance to industry building.
conference report | 29
Celtic group Celtara (Tami Cooper,
flute, and Bonnie Gregory, fiddle).
photo by Rodney Wilson.
30 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
The industry is not lacking in talent or in its sensitivity to market-attractive practices.
Fashion designer Katherine Soucie’s embrace of Vancouver’s zero-waste concepts and her
translation of these concepts into her unique brand not only catalyzed her aesthetics but
also influenced other economic elements of her operation as she established herself within a
new consumer community. Designer RozeMerie Cuevas has been designing for over 25 years
in Vancouver and also operates as a retailer. Having noticed that Canadian menswear
designers are not given enough exposure, Jun Ramos decided to pioneer the first Men’s
Fashion Week in Canada. Already, the effect of the first MFW is being seen: one participating designer closed a deal with a European retailer to carry his brand through his exposure
at the event. The focus on menswear designers, right here at home, is both beneficial and
essential to the further growth of the industry.
The creative economy and BC’s aboriginal artistic community
As noted earlier in this report, the role of artistic production in First Nations BC communities has received attention worldwide. In his paper, author, lawyer, and activist Calvin Helin
wove his thesis on the economic dependency trap with the freeing dynamics of artistic
production in aboriginal communities.
Education for the creative sector
Education for the creative sector at all levels is far from being a primary emphasis in school
and post-secondary curricula. However, it can be found in muted forms throughout the
curriculum from the beginnings of a child’s life to advanced professional development in
such established professions as landscape architecture, interior design, architecture, theatre
and performance, dance, various musical forms, and the visual arts. More recently, the
entire spectrum of digital media has been added, encompassing everything from hardware
engineering to applied animation and game structure. Richard Smith, director of the Masters
of Digital Media program at the Great Northern Way Campus, assembled an august panel of
five educator professionals—Bonne Zabolotney, dean at Emily Carr University; Patrick
Pennefather, Masters of Digital Media faculty member; Howard Donaldson, entrepreneur
and president of the Digital Media and Wireless Association of BC; and Owen Underhill,
SFU Contemporary Arts director—that discussed existing capabilities, current trends, and
emerging opportunities.
The creative arts and the Canada Council in Canadian society
Robert Sirman has a sociological background, and, in working within government, found
his way into Ontario’s first Ministry of Culture. He spent ten years with the Ontario
conference report | 31
Arts Council, followed by a stint at Canada’s National Ballet School. Since joining the
Canada Council as CEO he has been a tireless bridge-builder between the arts community
and the rest of Canadian society. His main emphasis has been to help build a sustainable
systemic ecology for artistic production. In his presentation he argued that the establishment of that ecology required policy development that demonstrates the value of the
arts and culture in any economic strategy. He sees emerging in Canada new forms of art
bolstered by new Council programs, which thrive when they are conceived within a narrative of public benefit. He envisions the translation of the abstract concept of creative hubs
into concrete realities throughout the country by each creative hub addressing its immediate
cultural specificity.
Economic opportunity
James Lam, manager of the Capital Regional District Arts Development Service in Victoria,
reported on a study of the Greater Victoria region that was conducted in parallel with the
Kelowna and Richmond economic-impact studies, beginning mid-December 2010 and
continuing through to mid-February 2011. It revealed the following:
The total economic activity [including direct, indirect and induced effects] generated
by the Greater Victoria arts and culture sector in 2010 was $170 million in net
income (GDP) activity, supporting the equivalent of more than 5,400 person years
of employment, and $21 million in property tax revenue. The local economic activity
generated by the Greater Victoria arts and culture sector in 2010 was $127 million
in net income (GDP) activity, supporting the equivalent of more than 4,600 person
years of employment, and almost $18 million in property tax revenue.30
Of these totals, the pre- and post-event spending by performing arts patrons
Creative engagement.
generated $65 million in net income (GDP) activity, supporting the equivalent
all photos courtesy of
of more than 1,600 person years of employment, and $6 million in property
2010 Legacies Now.
tax revenue.31
To provide some qualitative understanding of activities, the study distinguishes between
full-time and part-time artists and art businesses, arts organizations, and part-time hobbyists.
32 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
Duncan Low of SFU’s School of Communication provided an assessment of the impact
of the Olympics and the Cultural Olympiad of 2010 on arts and cultural groups. In contrast
to the promises of Olympic organizers, benefits were thin and sparse. For the creative
community, post-Olympic cutbacks and the lack of international press coverage, together
with a lack of increased cultural tourism, were notable. Moreover, those arts that benefitted
most were “those that concentrated their focus on the Cultural Olympiad’s local stage and
audience rather than the highly promoted global stage and audience.”32 One group used the
Cultural Olympiad to launch a contemporary dance series (in the only major Canadian city
without such a series in a large-scale venue) but fell on impecunious times in the postOlympic environment. In terms of cultural tourism, no production had sufficient appeal to
tourism officials to create from it a continuing event (as happened in Quebec with a Robert
Lepage production).
Sung Van of the Latitude advertising agency pointed out that the presence of a
substantial graphic design community in Canada and in BC that often takes the form
of entrepreneurial sole proprietorships or boutique agencies and studios is well positioned
to seize international opportunities arising in Asian countries, especially with firms focused
on serving North American and European markets.
Local initiatives
Several local initiatives were brought forward—local in the sense that they began firmly
rooted in specific communities. Geographer Scott Varga gave a lively talk on how planners
were beginning to create a magnet for students centred on the University of the Fraser
Valley in Abbotsford. Cultural development manager Liesl Jauk reported on the planning
and success of Culture Days in Richmond. But by far the most esoteric local example came
from author, publisher, and Indian Summer entrepreneur Sirish Rao’s powerful story of the
founding and development of Tara Books in Chennai, India, a collective of dedicated writers,
designers, and artists that trained labour local to the area of the publishing operations and
saw their books emerge as successes around the world.33
City of Vancouver initiatives
Between the time of BCreative 2012 and the initial drafting of this report (some two months)
conference report | 33
there was considerable action taken within Vancouver to what everyone agrees is an
endemic and worsening problem: the cost of space in Vancouver for artists to both live and
work. On June 12, 2012, the City of Vancouver announced that it had acquired two industrial
buildings34 that it planned to retrofit and rent out at very low cost to artists. Two days later,
it announced that it planned to make vacant field houses in some of Vancouver parks available as artists’ workspaces.35 These initiatives are useful and important gestures that address
the affordability of living and working space, which is a problem for the vast majority of
independent, young, Vancouver-based adults.
In fact, creative spaces are at the heart of vibrant, livable, successful, and caring cities. Most often, however, targeted users face serious issues of affordability, functionality,
regulations, and permanence. Amongst North America’s major urban centres, Vancouver’s
real estate context is perhaps the most extreme vis à vis its creative sector. Spaces for
creation, production, presentation, and support/ancillary activities are disappearing at an
advanced rate and infrastructure lost is not easily regained.
Jacqueline Gijssen and Diana Leung, City of Vancouver planners, discussed the city’s
attempts to address the key issues of affordability, suitability, and tenure in creation space.
Since the 2008 adoption of a new plan for Vancouver’s cultural spaces/facilities, there has
been a focused and heightened level of activities on multiple fronts in the “space agenda.”
The allocation of the two industrial buildings for artist studios and the field housing
initiative (both announced post-conference) are additions to the non-profit spaces already
provided to over 40 cultural tenants, including the Alliance for Arts and Culture, the
Vancouver Art Gallery, the Vancouver International Film Centre, Art Starts in Schools, and
the Firehouse Theatre. In addition, approximately $3 million in infrastructure grant funds
is leveraging over $17 million in project activities in space development to be used for such
activities as training for artists and housing cultural groups. As well, city staff members are
available to assist groups through the its regulatory systems.
Kobo: From Toronto to Japan on the flyleaf of an ebook
As big data combined with product digitization (both content and device) come to play an
ever-more-prominent role in the marketplace, it becomes easier for global megacorporations
such as Google, Apple, and Amazon to achieve market dominance. As part of its survival
strategy, Chapters/Indigo first developed ebook software, then hooked it to a proprietary
device (which together are called Kobo) and attempted to claim and maintain a position
in the ebook marketplace. To do so, it offered greater flexibility and built a network of
international partnerships among traditional bookstores. At a certain point, it must have
become apparent to both the parent company and to the executive staff of Kobo that the
34 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
The natural landscape of Gros
Morne National Park was the
foundation … [for] dramatic growth
in culture and tourism occupations
that reached 31 percent of the
active population in the park area
… [through] partnerships, clusters,
authenticity of product and story,
and sustainability.
development and maintenance of a device from a
Canadian base would continue to be an extremely
difficult proposition. Thus in November 2011, Kobo
was sold to Rakuten, a substantial international Japanese electronic commerce and internet company.36
Technological development continues to take place in
Canada, and Cameron Drew, director of vendor relations, reviewed the opportunities Kobo saw for itself.
Part of the value of including Kobo in the
conference is the relative rarity of Canadian initiatives—especially in the creative economy—surviving and becoming significant players in
global markets. Finding ways of maintaining ownership and succeeding in global markets
is no mean feat. With Kobo, both technology and market planning were strong; as a result,
those elements have been maintained in Canada. However, capital needs, global marketing
muscle, and a substantial non–North American base appeared to require a foreign presence.
Developing cultural tourism in Newfoundland
There was one slide in the presentation by Ann Anderson and Eleanor Dawson, Newfoundland and Labrador’s arts and cultural tourism officials, that captured the nature of
the creative economy as well as it captured the relationship between cultural tourism and
cultural production. It was a picture of an iceberg with cultural tourism showing above
the water and the many and varied activities involved in artistic creation and production
below the water. Anderson and Dawson reviewed the capacity of arts and culture to have
built around it an industry of industries that make up cultural tourism. They discussed risk
management in building on the vagaries of artistic production and, in general, provided
insight into the effort and rewards of cultural tourism. The natural landscape of Gros Morne
National Park was the foundation. The plan was to make the area as well known for its
cultural as its natural landscape by 2017. The partners are the broader artistic community in
Newfoundland and Labrador who were brought to the project through planning, analysis,
and incremental development. The results included dramatic growth in culture and tourism
occupations that reached 31 percent of the active population in the park area by applying
the principles of partnerships, clusters, authenticity of product and story, and sustainability.
Mr. Creative Cities, Charles Landry
The conference closed with a tour-de-force-presentation by international urban environmental consultant Charles Landry, who coined the term “creative cities.” Against a backdrop
conference report | 35
of images from around the world of indistinguishable six-lane highways and the same
global-brand shops that are found in every major metropolis, the enthusiastic and curious
creative urbanist Charles Landry launched into a discourse replete with examples on the art
of city-making in which public authorities give back to citizens, who in turn generate social
capital. Case in point: to achieve compliance for a bells-on-bicycles law, park rangers offered
a fine or free bell for infractions. Facing an insufficient budget for upgrading public housing,
the mayor of Tirana repainted existing housing in stock multicolours, inducing in residents a
burgeoning pride and self-generated transformation.
These examples were a mere beginning. Landry treated conference participants to a
continuing series of juxtapositions of the boring and mundane way it is done versus the way
it can be done. The next generation of urban centres, he predicted, will see buildings/roads/
sewers, the hardware of cities, working in harmony with the city software of citizens and
communities to create cities not in but for the world.
program and polic y foundations
As the many contributions that presenters brought to the conference suggest, the foundations
for these many and varied creative activities are variously situated in and/or sustained by
>> the determination of individuals;
>> like-minded talent and appreciation groups;
>> geographic and interest communities;
>> community-based governments;
>> age cohorts;
>> ethnocultural identities and communities;
>> such established and emerging creative professions as architecture
and web-based designers;
>> creative industries that mediate between creators and the market
such as publishing, film production, and art galleries;
>> creative service industries such as advertising;
>> innovators working with technology, particularly new technologies;
>> to a limited extent, provincial support structures.
Beyond the preceding overview, there is a whole other layer of creative activity that
derives from the nature of humanity. In building BCreative 2012, we attempted to engage
business and industry not as supporters of arts and culture but as participants in the creative
process. We reached out to them, for example, not just as industries, but as entities that
add value through innovation, such as paper companies creating high-end acid-free paper
36 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
products from recycled product or inks free of toxic chemicals. In the competitive markets of
a flat world, design married to functionality rises to dominate markets. But, as noted above,
signs of an overall commitment to design in BC are weak. Compared with 1,691 architects,
a traditional design-based profession, the members of British Columbia’s newer, industrial
design association number 34. In general, it appears recognition and incubation of creativity
outside cultural production is muted and—in certain sectors—is absent in British Columbia.
Yet, the innovation environment recognized as necessary by the PwC study requires not
only advanced infrastructure and education to drive demand but also the encouragement
and reward of both creativity and entrepreneurship. When combined with an understanding
of the heterogeneous foundations of creative activity, the understanding that creativity
exists throughout society provides a foundation to policy. Human action generates cognitive reflection; reflection can lead to invention; and recognition of invention, coupled with
investment in advanced infrastructure, creates conditions not only for the encouragement
of creative expression for its own sake but also for the encouragement of creativity-driven
enterprise of all sorts. A manifestation of this dynamic is design-based thinking.
In making a link to innovation, a natural ally would be the BC Innovation Council.
While this organization is focused on developing entrepreneurial talent and commercializing technology, 37 there is no reason why that mandate could not be advantageously refined
to emphasize a wider scope of inputs that encompass aesthetics and design excellence,
thereby increasing the potential (as we have seen so clearly with Apple products) for achieving a dominant position worldwide.
conference report | 37
Solid Sphere, a sculpture by
Brent Comber. p h o t o
by
Carrie Marshall. courtesy
of the artist.
38 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
anticipating the sunrise
a general framework for a creative british columbia:
towards a strategic plan
For British Columbia to develop a strategic plan to fully exploit the social and economic
potential of the creative sector requires a general framework that takes into account
dominant, structuring BC realities (what already exists and will not disappear): the empirical elements that will serve as a foundation for moving forward. It also requires a unifying
discourse—what scholars would call a theoretical frame.
With respect to empirical realities, within Canada, British Columbia is unlikely to
become the dominant producer of creative products given Ontario’s large population and its
determination to become a world-stage actor together with Quebec’s emphasis on culture
and distinctiveness as a foundation to its survival in a North American sea of anglophony.
Yet, just as Denmark became notable in the world for modern furniture design in the 1960s,
there is no reason why BC cannot make a mark by incubating talent and distinctiveness.
This does not imply a casino approach, attempting to pick apparent economic winners such
as screen-based media. Doing so is a high-risk strategy that ties BC to the ups and downs of
a single industry, not unlike Alberta’s ties to petroleum. It is also potentially weakened by
the unpredictability of the market success of cultural products. It picks winners and creates
losers, thereby undermining social cohesiveness. Moreover, it fails to take into account the
ecosystem within which any creative industry exists. At the very least the cross-fertilization
that becomes possible in a community in which there is lively creativity being expressed in a
whole variety of media offers far more than does the commercialization of a single sector in
terms of social capital as well as global presence.
The penetration of creativity into all of human affairs and the heterogeneity of British
Columbia also need to be taken into account. Creativity is manifest as innovation in many
sectors and is often noticed in the short term and forgotten over the long term. Focusing
on innovation, like focusing on the medicinal properties of plants, opens it for harvest and
development, and the celebration of both adds considerable heft to any strategic plan. With
respect to heterogeneity, assuming that the climate of Metro Vancouver and the social orientation of its residents is typical denies the richness inherent of the population and geography
of BC. There are a multitude of geographical formations and predominant weather characteristics in the province, inclusive of its islands, that in structuring human experience lend
39
their influence to the emergence of manifestations of innovation and creativity. Planning
and policies can benefit greatly from taking this plurality of realities into account.
While heterogeneity is important, the inherent attractiveness of BC’s major city cannot be ignored. Led by Vancouver’s status as a most livable city, there is little doubt that
if opportunities were available, many Canadians and foreigners would flock to BC. The
recent and current status of the BC video game industry appears to reflect that reality. The
development bubble in digital creative production that we have recently lived through saw
video-game companies in Vancouver (and BC) grow quickly and substantially. But as that
market shakes out, the BC bubble appears to be bursting. During the week of July 11, 2012,
the video game company Rockstar closed, laying off 35 people. This closure came
two weeks after layoffs of 89 employees at Vancouver’s oldest studio, Radical Entertainment. Rockstar cited differential tax credits that in Ontario, at 37.5 percent, are more
than double BC’s 17.5 percent.38 It is not that the jobs have disappeared: some Rockstar
employees immediately received job offers from California and Holland. Rather, inter-firm
competition has increased, and without a well-articulated plan for a creative sector and
attendant policy reflecting a determination to retain or build market share, BC firms are
bound to close as wary venture capitalists see firm, long-term commitments in place in
other locations.
If the above are the predominant empirical realities, there are also at least four emergent
realities that became evident at BCreative 2012 and should be taken into account in developing an overall strategic plan for the development of a creative dynamic in BC.
1. Digital technology has transformed the dominant dynamic of media engagement
from the passive reception of centralized produced entertainment (“one to many”)
to a much greater emphasis on “many to many” and, hence, interactivity with others
via the media.
2. Advantage comes from co-planning for the creation of social capital, GDP growth,
contribution to the job economy, and potential in global markets. Analytical frameworks are being established for fully appreciating the contribution of the creative
sector beyond its inherent value: to GDP; as an economic driver of other economic
sectors; its capacity to create jobs with limited negative environmental impact; and,
most importantly, as an element of modern post-industrial, multi-ethnic civilization
that generates social capital and social cohesion.
3. While with many cultural activities the negative environmental impact is thankfully
slight, other elements in artistic, creative, cultural, and innovative industrial activity
can result in negative environmental impact. “Returns” in the magazine and book
industries are cases in point.
40 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
4. The emergence within half a lifetime of mass culture production that has transformed
a few young rebels such as Sir Paul, Sir Mick, and Sir Elton into economic forces as
well as members of the nobility parallels the rise of the bourgeoisie in France as a
separate “estate” with the emergence of a mercantile economy.
the nature of support
There are four types of support for the creative sector that can be identified and together
they lead to a fifth. First is recognition. Second is arts and cultural subsidies, third is organizational or industrial support, and fourth is structural assistance. Out of these comes the
potential for stability and sectoral growth.
While recognition in the form of awards ceremonies in Canada is amply represented
in support programs by the private sector (the Giller Prize in literature), industry associations (the National Magazine Awards), and government (the Governor General’s Awards),
such awards focus on the best of the best. The continuous manifestations of creativity and
innovation can thrive and accrue value from a climate of recognition and celebration that
maximizes the potential of such a dynamic. Money need not always change hands, although
it certainly helps. Recognition itself confers honour and prestige on the recipient that can
translate into later earnings or even motivation to continue in a creative vein.
Cultural subsidies are generally directed at both creators and mediators to assist them
in producing artistic work for which there is an insufficient market that cannot reasonably
be expected to compensate the recipient for the effort and expense of creating a work
or making a work public. Cultural subsidies include both public and private patronage of
creators of all types but also of such institutions as public art galleries or book and magazine
publishers. They help to ensure a continuing production of creative works that, like amateur
hockey, foster the emergence of world-recognized talents.
Industrial support targets business operations and is meant to assist them in building
organizational stability and thus to allow organizations to have the financial wherewithal
to invest in ambitious projects, perhaps grow their markets, and grow their organizations
locally and in whatever environments and markets that are appropriate to them. The investments of governments in the production of film, magazines, books, theatres, art galleries, and
so forth are typical. Like cultural subsidies, industrial support draws on the public purse.
In contrast to arts and cultural subsidies, structural intervention involved the
formation of laws, policies, and practices that affect the manner of operations rather than the
transfer of financial support. Copyright law is an example, as would be an artists’ resale right
if Canada had such a law (as Australia and the European Union do). Tax credits recognizing
the equivalent of creative R&D also fall under this category.
anticipating the sunrise | 41
[W]hile British Columbians are highly
active in making and participating
in arts and culture, there is
little in the way of a unifying
discourse and not a great deal
of general awareness of the range
and amount of creative activity.
These support policies, combined with other
regulatory tools such as public ownership, Canadiancontent requirements, and cross-subsidies from
money-making elements in a chain to elements
requiring funds (e.g., radio broadcasters to music
production, cable companies to movie producers)
create a stable infrastructure that can be
sufficiently supportive for a creative economy to evolve. Such an infrastructure encourages
private investment for the simple reason that it reduces risk.
A word on a “stable infrastructure.” The 1994 Ontario government report The Business of
Culture emphasized that the cultural industries (and the creative sector as a whole) needed a
predictable environment “to fulfill their economic potential, realize their vision and achieve
their objectives.” 39 The third of three main strategic goals recommended that government
and industry should:
Create a stable, equitable operating environment for Canadian cultural industries
in Ontario.40
This goal translated into continuing support at predictable levels together with an
informing framework for government support that gave first consideration to the financial
needs for becoming a notable, if not dominant, participant in domestic and international
markets and equal consideration to developing new multimedia products and new distribution systems for traditional cultural products.
a unifying discourse
In the planning for and in the proceedings of BCreative 2012, it became apparent that while
British Columbians are highly active in making and participating in arts and culture, there
is little in the way of a unifying discourse and not a great deal of general awareness of the
range and amount of creative activity. In rooms full of those involved with the creative
sector, reference is not made to founding or visionary documents that define BC realities
and/or a general approach to development in the creative sector. In part, this is because
such documents do not exist; there is no creative industry plan that has been developed
by government in consultation with creators and creative industries. Nor is there a cadre of
researchers inside and outside universities who have a notable public profile, are interacting
with one another, and are focused on either the cultural or creative sector whose research
is setting a discourse in place. When important documents have emerged, they seem to
42 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
fade from general awareness to become operational plans for particular actors as appears
to be the case with the Culture Plan for Vancouver 2008–2018: Creative City. Similarly,
the PricewaterhouseCoopers paper, written for the BC Business Council’s Opportunity BC
2020 discussions, is rarely a touchstone document. Indeed, in the final Business Council
discussion of the papers developed for that effort, in the context of future economic development following the 2010 Winter Olympics, only a single passing mention was made of the
creative sector.
If neither government nor business, nor the creative sector itself, participates in a
common conceptualizing discourse around the nature and potential of the distinctive
manifestations of creativity in BC, then it is unlikely that development will occur even if
various subsectors are able to benefit from successful initiatives undertaken elsewhere. In
other words, most important is the coordinative and collaborative value of singing from the
same songsheet—a songsheet that reflects the distinctive elements of British Columbia and
thus has sufficient resonance to drive development.
In this choral context, providing incentives to firms can be reductively cast as a race to
the bottom of the net revenues gained by governments from these new industries. But they
can more productively be cast as necessary investments to grow a vibrant creative sector for
the value it adds in the short term and over the long term to become an established development centre. “Show me the money” is a race to the bottom for public bodies. “Show me the
plan” brings smart private sector investment to a table of financial incentives.
A further note on plans: research (lacking in BC, and in Canada as well) offers double
value. It provides information that can serve as the foundation for decision making.
However, over and above the information it produces is the change in understanding that
more information makes possible. Thus, towards its end, the PwC study calls for the BC
government to separate economic policy from cultural policy in providing support to the
creative sector. And in pursuit of economic policy, bc should support those industries that
already demonstrate growth and potential contribution. As was pointed out by visiting
economist and conference participant Alena Siarheyeva, because both Canada and BC lack
a considered definition of what constitutes the creative economy, its dynamics are therefore
unknown. Like investment in education, the returns of which are difficult to measure,
investment in culture may be far more effective both economically and socially if participation, or jobs, or cultural value itself are the focus rather than current contribution to GDP.
In the context of a unifying discourse as well as BC realities, another document is worthy
of note. As the Culture Plan for Vancouver, 2008–2018: Creative City points out, we grow
up in neighbourhoods that are parts of the larger wholes of towns or cities, provinces, and
Canada. While, no doubt, there are interprovincial differences, in this chain of identities,
anticipating the sunrise | 43
Jerry Pethick, Time Top Project,
permanent public artwork,
Vancouver, 2006. P h o t o
by
Maureen Smith.
44 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
perhaps the most muted element is that of the province. Only at an interprovincial gathering
is the answer to the question, “Where are you from?” at all likely to be “British Columbia”
(without modification). Surely this means that the greater participation of municipalities
in supporting creative activity than elsewhere in Canada is a strength upon which BC can
build. Thinking along different lines, in considering the creative sector in the context of
cultural tourism, as any marketer would attest, investment in creative activity and cultural
production would be a substantial multiplier of spending given the allure of the natural
beauty and the mild climate of the province. And, while choosing winners is high risk,
treating traditional forms of creative expression as sacrosanct is also probably ill advised,
especially for a neo-European province whose closest western neighbour is Asia.
Finally, in preamble to the coming recommendation to inject greater energy into the
creative sector, a few words on process and innovation. An examination of other documents
and successful policies suggests that planning demands full participation of the many
manifestations of creativity within the sector, the involvement of complementary sectors,
the involvement of creative elements of traditional industries, and the involvement of the
general public to the extent that they can be enticed to engage. Also, marketing the enterprise, rather than offering involvement opportunities for the highly motivated, would appear
to be worthwhile. Relatedly, clarity of purpose can be derived from fully encompassing in
outline form the nature of any supportive enterprise. For example, affirming both social
participation and artistic excellence is tremendously important. As well, recognizing that
more people want a stage than there are sizeable audiences who wish to form the audience, as inevitable, and turning that into a positive, is equally advisable.
anticipating the sunrise | 45
Snow-capped Coast Mountains
tower over Vancouver.
p h o t o b y j o s h m cc u l l o c h ,
courtesy of picture bc
46 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
conceptualizing the beginnings of a strategic
creativity/innovation plan for British Columbia
of what BCreative brought forward, it is useful
to take a page from Vancouver’s Creative City document insofar as that document attempted
to build on many elements, institutions, and activities that were already in place. In the
same spirit, there are certain take-aways from BCreative 2012. Differing from Creative City, it
seems wise to employ the strengths that are inherent in the sector itself; to wit, the talents
and perspective of the advertising industry to develop a campaign to facilitate the decidedupon initiatives.
In the above context, and in the context
what works
Creative City provides a sense of building upon what is already in place. It is not totally
inclusive, even of Vancouver, and it lacks signposts, a full set of inspirational goals,
and a commitment of identified resources. It can, however, be used as a beginning
inventory system.
The conference papers offered more:
>> Roger Hughes ’s presentation, built on architecture in general, illustrated the
aesthetic and functional richness that can be achieved when design becomes a first
step, especially when it is underpinned by an organized profession. Ryan Holmes ’s
HootSuite demonstrates the possibilities of success by building on talent available in
BC and marrying it with an understanding of the business organization and dynamics
of start-ups as well as the necessity of reaching out for resources. Michael Geller ’s
presentation highlighted how whole areas of cities can be transformed visually, sometimes very simply, with a resulting transformation in the social dynamic. Sometimes
merely asking for a decision or informing a population can build unexpected social
cohesion. Peter Milobar emphasized the latter; by informing citizens, involvement
soared. Will Garrett-Petts outlined a continuing role for creators in animating
community commitment to creative expression and potential.
>> While focusing on the specificities of aboriginal involvement and local resources
and circumstances, Walter Jakeway ’s presentation offered one main take-away
among many: the inclusion of groups not normally tapped for the creative expression
of their distinctive realities has positive community consequences. Calvin Helin
reinforced this message in his exploration of economic dependency and aboriginal
47
>>
>>
>>
>>
artistic production. Massimo Manzoni picked up on the same theme in an entirely
different context. Based on his background knowledge of the impact of clusters
in northern Italy, he reminded conference participants of the value of conceiving
projects inclusive of the creation of wealth and participation throughout the community (as opposed to the business/entrepreneurial class). Relatedly, the education
panel underlined the in-place training foundation for creativity and innovation
encompassing traditional and emerging digital creative production.
Especially when considered in the context of the transformation of the position
of rock musicians from generators of moral panic to lords of the realm, the panel
presentations of fashionistas Katherine Soucie , RozeMerie Cuevas , and Jun Ramos
illustrated the advantages of inclusivity, even if they take a generation to emerge.
Will Straw ’s documentation of the discourse surrounding the nighttime economies
made this same point.
Against Mark Jamison ’s background detailing of the degree to which Canada’s
magazine industry is successful in reaching the vast majority of Canadians within
frameworks of interest that Canada’s 2,000-plus magazine titles represent (as an
illustration), the cultural or creative industries argued their case for the value of
infrastructure investments across all industries of their sector and the resulting social
and economic advantages that accrue from the investment in stable creator-tosociety mediation.
Several papers (e.g., James Lam ’s on Victoria) underscored the contributive
economics of the arts and culture sector, a contribution that, while important
to recognize, is only a portion of the story. Not discussed in these studies is the
broader contribution of the creative professions (e.g., advertising, architecture and
industrial design) as well as industrial and other forms of innovation. This underplays
their contribution.
The working macroeconomics and problematic microeconomics of the creative sector
informed many of the presentations and were addressed head-on by Judi Piggott .
At issue behind concerns for living-wage compensation is the desire of human
beings to be recognized for innovation and creativity. That desire drives a continuous
surplus of expression and a dearth of audiences. This problem might be addressed by
adapting the basic models for recognition and development of talent in sports, and
for innovation. For example, tiered recognition could introduce a celebratory framework for broader enfranchisement of the creative impulse. Such recognition would
have positive social consequences. Duncan Low ’s cautionary tale of the cultural
Olympiad paralleled the call for hard-edged analyses of social benefit, especially
48 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
when global franchises come knocking. Some economists in attendance raised this
same point in discussion.
>> The value of both a conceptual framework and a vision were brought forward in
a number of papers. While Minister Chong ’s review of the level of provincial activity in supporting arts and culture was a useful reminder, especially in the context
of recent cuts and restored funding, as well as government commandeering of funding from gaming, the clear sense at the conference was a call for more, in a qualitative
as much as a quantitative sense. Opposition cultural critic Spencer Chandra
Herbert ’s talk of a BC Media Development Corporation injected hope but fell short
in its lack of being framed within an overarching vision for BC inclusive of the
stimulation of creativity and innovation. Robert Sirman made the point differently
in talking of the need to think of the various subsectors of creativity as elements
of an ecosystem. That vision came in snippets, for instance in Sirish Rao ’s presentation of Tara Books in India. It also came in a deluge of ideas and images offered,
in particular, by the Parisians Patrick Cocquet and Vincent Gollain and by
Charles Landry .
>> Like the Parisians’ contribution, Edna Dos Santos ’s translation of the inspiration of
those such as Landry was of tremendous value. Like UNCTAD’s reports, on which
her presentation was based, dos Santos provided a thoroughgoing understanding of
the dynamics of the creative economy as Sirman did from a different perspective. It
included an overall framework complete with methods of measurement and action
items that address, from a profoundly humanistic standpoint, not only the creative
impulse but also global inequalities.
>> Although addressed to an extent that fell short of their impact, local/global capitalist
economic dynamics were certainly identifiable in Cameron Drew ’s presentation
on Kobo, the questions Board of Trade CEO Iain Black put to Ryan Holmes , and
several of the technology presentations. Once any firm takes on public investment,
the originators begin to lose control over its future to investors, whoever they may be.
Moreover, it is rare to find entrepreneurs in western Canada with greater loyalty to
community than to financial gain. The encouragement of such loyalties is a linchpin
to development of a creative/innovation-driven economy, as is the management
of public investment. Of course, another side of the global issue is opportunity
for export, discussed in terms of graphic design by Sung Van . Manifest as a third
force in the many presentations dealing with technology was a clear sense of the
fillip that ICT has brought to humanity overall and particularly to the creative and
innovation sectors.
conceptualizing the beginnings of a strategic creativity plan | 49
>> Also under-represented but definitely not absent from the conference was substantial
engagement with cultural tourism. Ironically, the main contribution came from BC’s
opposite coast in the form of a highly informative and nuanced presentation by
cultural bureaucrats Ann Anderson and Eleanor Dawson . They illustrated the
leveraging natural attractions with cultural creativity and the substantial economic
and social development that can arise from such a pairing.
50 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
recommendation
In the context of BCreative 2012, long-term
tangible benefit may be gained from
the following:
The interests of all British Columbians and BC’s economy could be greatly advanced by
a strategic plan consisting of a province-wide initial 10-year campaign focused on creativity
and innovation to establish creativity as primary element of the identity of British Columbia
and British Columbians, thereby moving creativity in BC to the centre of our consciousness.
Such a campaign could begin on the foundation of a brand, such as Creative Beautiful
British Columbia , or it could begin with a focus on naming the brand through public
participation. The campaign would have two goals. One would be to add value to current
creative initiatives and activities by making them as part of a central social identity element
of BC (a larger whole). The second would be to stimulate new creative/innovation activity
led by the understanding that investing in creativity is investing in the future social and
economic health of British Columbia. In pursuit of both goals, the intent would not be to
create a centralized monolith, focused on creativity as a primary social identity element, but
rather to lead by example, to encourage myriad other activities by both public bodies and
private interests. For example, communities of all types—geographic, ethnic, talent, industries, professions, ages, and genders—and their members could be invited to define how they
currently contribute to a Creative Beautiful BC and how they might measurably increase
their contribution.
In setting the stage for the 10-year campaign, a central information bank, supported
by sponsorship if not advertising, could be created and used to increase public awareness.
Submissions could be lodged in this publicly accessible resource and a panel-led call for
public comment (crowd-sourced evaluation) could be used to involve a wide selection of
British Columbians in the selection for funding of some of the best proposals to measurably
increase their contribution.
Key to making this initiative a success would be appropriate recognition and the tiering
of that recognition. At a beginning level, attention, praise, and facilitation of further participation (which might require organizational assistance), similar to what happens in sports
development, are as important, if not more important, than financial recognition. However,
in the end, appropriate financial recognition is important to address a current punishing
microeconomics. Such an initiative would become an ongoing program that would form a
51
growing inventory of initiatives seen to be part of the single, branded, Creative Beautiful
British Columbia effort.
Also important to such a campaign would be the inclusion of marketing, promotion, and
organizational activity. Outside-the-box initiatives such as The Cheaper Show, an art event
that makes the work of emerging and established artists accessible to collectors at a uniform
and affordable price, can have enormous impact on public participation.
Preliminary to such a campaign, and perhaps to consider its viability and design, a
substantial advisory panel of notable creators and policy analysts (reflective of all subsectors
and the system ecology of the creative sector) could be convened to ensure that the initiative was best conceived and had appropriate breadth into industry, education, ethnic groups,
native groups, and so on. Representation from the BC Arts Council would be particularly
important given its breadth of responsibility and programs. The orienting brand, as much as
anything, could be put forward for consideration.
The point would be to focus on transforming the manner in which British Columbians
and hence visitors think about the province as having double value—as equally engaging
and enjoyable for its creativity and innovation as for its natural beauty. With that in place
and an ongoing program of taking notice of creativity and innovation could gradually build
the needed infrastructure of support (such as a BC Media Development Corporation for the
creative industries) that, in serving the creative sector and innovation, would serve British
Columbians socially and economically. Run by advertising firms indigenous to BC, such a
campaign would have enormous potential.
Particularly important to this enterprise would be appealing to distinctiveness while
embracing BC realities. For example, within the Canadian islands of the Salish Sea, encouraging each to have a creativity/innovation plan derived from its inherent realities would
provide focus for a great deal of intellectual and artistic energy. For instance, celebrating
the best methods the residents of Lasqueti Island have developed for living off-grid would
provide a foundation for increasing their involvement with each other in a mutually
appreciative context and their interaction with other British Columbians. Similarly, focusing
on food production or furniture making on Salt Spring Island would offer recognition and
identity formation as well as enhance interest in its natural charms. A parallel program
focused on inventiveness in mountain towns would also recognize and engender pride, and
produce curiosity. In each of these cases, tying recognition to the central image-capturing
logo and phrase, as well as creating opportunities for those recognized to share with others,
would generate further value.
A focus on creativity/innovation-based exports to Asian countries, as an example, would
probably bring together highly disparate initiatives that would be of considerable interest
52 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
to all types of entrepreneurs wishing not only to see what works
but also to understand the organization necessary for successful
export initiatives.
Yet other dynamics could be highlighted such as groups of
artists being praised for their role in helping to transform industrial
neighbourhoods into more livable areas. Even plans for increasing
participation of chronically underemployed groups could be identified and through such recognition these groups could gain access to
bridge funding to carry out their plans.
The point of such examples is to demonstrate the breadth of
inclusiveness that is possible within a creativity/innovation rubric.
Clearly, a place to start would be with the BC and existing community arts councils, with programs of support for cultural industries
that are already in place, and to integrate them into an overall plan
which becomes an identity constant in British Columbia. It is the
creation of that environment and the passing of both the design of
programs and their administration to those involved in the sector
that appears to be the best foundation for a strategic plan for a
creative/innovative British Columbia.
coda
As the twenty-first century opens, and rapidly developing economies reach out for access
to energy and raw materials, and to take control, when possible, of these finite resources;
and in the context of a flattening world where information and communication technology
and international trading rules force labour competition onto British Columbians; the value
of creativity and creative production grows within the context of human ambition, human
happiness, and the job-creation economy. Even the manner we have of thinking about
this emerging zeitgeist shows a liveliness that is indicative of our intuitive realization of its
promise. As UK-based educator and design consultant Kathryn Best notes, in speaking of the
contribution that design can make to creativity and innovation:
design’s ability to present attractive, practical, and aspirational propositions that
can help change people’s decision-making processes, behaviours, and mindsets …
[can assist in] stimulating both new value propositions and more human-centered
strategies for growth and development.41
recommendation | 53
To push forward creatively,
we must see how large the
universe is. Installation of
music, curtains, projections,
and the grass by David Burney
and Charmaine Carpenter.
photo by Charmaine
Carpenter. Courtesy of
the artists.
The creation of a primary identity focused on a creativity/innovation consciousness that
gets translated into concrete cohesion-building and ambition-affirming opportunity has a
great deal to offer. Most likely, it would have a considerable resonance in British Columbia.
To move forward in the direction suggested by this report requires the involvement of
those on the front lines of participation in the creativity/innovation economy. Universities
as ideas institutions play a secondary role. But as our contribution to the enterprise, should
developing interest emerge, Simon Fraser University’s Canadian Centre for Studies in
Publishing will explore the feasibility of developing and publishing an anthology to enrich
the discussion of developing a creative/innovative British Columbia.
54 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
appendix A
presenters to the conference and session chairs
Ann Anderson, Manager, Federal Tourism Partnerships,
Newfoundland and Labrador
Peter Armstrong, Founder, Leanpub; Co-founder,
Ruboss
Alison Beale, Professor and Director, School
of Communication, SFU
David Beers, Founder, The Tyee
Raynald Belay, Attaché Culturel, Consulat Général
de France à Vancouver
Iain Black, President and CEO, Vancouver Board
of Trade
Susan Brinton, consultant, cultural industries
Lindsay Brown, artist and community activist
Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural
Development, British Columbia
Patrick Cocquet, CEO, Cap Digital, Paris Region
Angela Crocker, Principal, Beachcomber
Communications
TJ Dawe, writer and performer, Director of Beams
and Struts
Eleanor Dawson, Director of Arts, Newfoundland
and Labrador
Heather Deal, Councillor, City of Vancouver
Bob D’Eith, Executive Director, Music BC
Deanna Devitt, Department Head, Fashion Design,
University of the Fraser Valley
Cheryl Geisler, Dean, Faculty of Communication, Arts
and Technology, SFU
Michael Geller, developer
Jacqueline Gijssen, Senior Cultural Planner,
City of Vancouver
Vincent Gollain, Chief Economic Development Officer,
Paris Region Economic Development Agency
Lillian Hallin, Manager, BC Stats
Calvin Helin, First Nations author, lawyer, and activist
Spencer Chandra Herbert, MLA Vancouver West-End;
Official Opposition Critic, Tourism, Arts
and Culture, BC
Meg Holden, Associate Professor, Urban Studies
and Geography, SFU
Ryan Holmes, Founder and CEO, HootSuite
Roger Hughes, Principal, Hughes Condon Marler
Architects
Walter Jakeway, Mayor, City of Campbell River
Mark Jamison, CEO, Magazines Canada
Liesl Jauk, Manager, Cultural Development,
City of Richmond
Jonathan Rhys Kesselman, Professor, School of Public
Policy, SFU
James Lam, Manager, Capital Regional District Arts
Development Service, Victoria
Charles Landry, author, and Director of Comedia
Linda Doherty, potter and author
Diana Leung, Cultural Planner, City of Vancouver
Howard Donaldson, President, DigiBC
Anna Lidstone, writer and creative coach
Cameron Drew, Director, Vendor Relations,
Rowland Lorimer, Director, Publishing@SFU
Kobo Inc.
Michelle Loughery, public mural artist
Todd Falkowsky, Principal, citizen brand
Duncan Low, School of Communication, SFU
Sandy Garossino, former Crown prosecutor,
Massimo Manzoni, architect, Colombia
businessperson, and culture and arts supporter
Will Garrett-Petts, Associate Vice-President,
Research and Graduate Studies, and Small
Cities Community-University Research Alliance,
Thompson Rivers University
John W. Maxwell, Associate Professor, Publishing@SFU
Allyson McGrane, Left Right Minds Initiative
Julie McIntyre, artist, printmaker, and CARFAC
representative
Peter Milobar, Mayor, City of Kamloops
55
Garry Thomas Morse, poet
Sarah Murray, Director, Fashion Capsule
Communications + Style Lounge
Suzanne Norman, Director, BCreative 2012;
Coordinator, SFU Publishing Workshops
Patrick Pennefather, Educator and Performer,
Centre for Digital Media
Judi Piggott, community and organizational
development consultant
Jun Ramos, Founder and Creative Director, Vancouver
Men’s Fashion Week
Sirish Rao, Principal, Indian Summer Festival, Vancouver
Margaret Reynolds, Executive Director, Association
of Book Publishers of BC
Edna dos Santos-Duisenberg, former Chief, Creative
Economy Programme, UNCTAD
Betty A. Schellenberg, Chair, Department of English,
SFU
Sylvia Skene, Executive Director, Magazine
Association of BC
Richard Smith, Professor and Director, Masters of
Digital Media Program, Centre for Digital Media
Katherine Soucie, artist and designer
Kennedy Stewart, MP, Burnaby-Douglas
Will Straw, Director, McGill Institute for the Study
of Canada, McGill University
Vivienne Taylor, Principal, Trend Fashion Forecasting
& Marketing
Karen Thorne-Stone, CEO, Ontario Media Development
Corporation
Owen Underhill, Director, School of Contemporary
Arts, SFU
Sung Van, Creative Director and Partner,
Latitude Agency
Scott Varga, University of the Fraser Valley
Hal Wake, Artistic Director, Vancouver Writers Fest
Liz Shorten, Managing Vice-President, Operations
Gillian Wood, Executive Director, BC Arts Council
and Member Services, Canadian Media
Rob Woodbury, Professor, School of Interactive
Production Association
Robert Sirman, Director and CEO, Canada Council
for the Arts
Arts + Technology, SFU
Bonne Zabolotney, Dean of Design and Dynamic Media,
Emily Carr University
advisors to and staff of the conference
Amir Ali Alibhai, former Executive Director,
Alliance for the Arts
Rick Antonson, CEO, Tourism Vancouver
Raynald Belay, Attaché Culturel, Consulat général
de France à Vancouver
Veronica Bonifacio, Editor, CCSP Press
Lyn Brown, Vice-President, Marketing and Corporate
Responsibility, Catalyst Paper
Mark Busse, BA, CGD, Partner / Managing Director,
Industrial Brand
Laura Byspalko, Founder and Managing Director,
Indian Summer Arts Society
Nancy Cardozo, Director of Major Gifts, Faculty
of Communication, Art and Technology, SFU
Dennis Chenard, Director of Industry Relations,
Centre for Digital Media
Brent Comber, artist
Sean Cranbury, publishing and communications
professional; creator, Books on the Radio
Bob D’Eith, Executive Director, Music BC
Howard Donaldson, President, DigiBC
Jock Finlayson, Executive Vice-President and Chief Policy
Officer, Business Council of British Columbia
Lee Edward Födi, author, illustrator, and educator
Cheryl Geisler, Dean, Faculty of Communication,
Art and Technology, SFU
Sarah Hay, designer, strategist, and collaborator
Mark Jamison, CEO, Magazines Canada
Am Johal, writer and Coordinator, Vancity Office
of Community Engagement, SFU Woodward’s
Cultural Unit
Malcolm Levy, artist and curator; Co-founder,
New Forms Festival
Caroline Lewko, CEO, Wireless Industry Partnership
Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, Chair, Vancouver Board
of Trade
Rhona MacInnes, former Executive Director,
Magazine Association of BC
56 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
Massimo Manzoni, architect
Ashok Mathur, cultural organizer, writer, and
visual artist; Associate Professor, Thompson
Rivers University
Rick Mischel, Senior Vice-President, Satellite Production,
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Richard Newirth, Managing Director, Cultural Services,
City of Vancouver
Geoff Plant, lawyer; Partner, Heenan Blaikie; former
Attorney General, British Columbia
Sirish Rao, Artistic Director, Indian Summer Arts Society
Margaret Reynolds, Executive Director, Association of
Book Publishers of BC
Sadira Rodrigues, Director, Continuing Education,
Richard Smith, Professor and Director, Masters of
Digital Media Program, Centre for Digital Media
Philip Steenkamp, Vice-President, External
Relations, SFU
Elmer Sum, entrepreneur
Owen Underhill, Director, School of Contemporary
Arts, SFU
Chris Weafer, Shareholder and Co-Managing
Director, Owen Bird Law Corporation
Rob Woodbury, Professor, School of Interactive
Arts + Technology, SFU
Max Wyman, writer and cultural commentator;
Chair, Leaders Council, PuSh International
Performing Arts Festival
Emily Carr University
Liz Shorten, Managing Vice-President, Operations
and Member Service), Canadian Media
Production Association
appendix A | 57
references
1
Alliance for the Arts. ArtsBC/Assembly of BC Arts
Councils. http://www.allianceforarts.com/member/
assembly-bc-arts-councils (accessed June 2012).
2Ibid.
3
British Columbia Arts Council. Guidelines by
Program Type. http://www.bcartscouncil.ca/
guideline_list.html (accessed June 2012).
4
5
6
Architectural Institute of BC. http://www.aibc.ca
Assessment. Kelowna: UBC Okanagan.
18 The difference between economic output and
is the total unduplicated value (or value added) of
Society of Landscape Architects, September 14, 2012.
the goods and services produced in an economic
BC Professional Design Association. BC Industrial
territory or region during a given period, while
Professional Designers. http://www.bcid.com/
economic value is the total value of all of the goods
and services produced.
June 2012).
19PwC, Opportunity BC 2020.
Federation of BC Writers. The Writers Community
20 Intervistas and Sydney Johnsen. 2008. City of
Vancouver Actor’s Guide. http://www.vancouver
Richmond Arts and Culture: Economic Impact Study:
Final Report (p. i).
21 Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 2001.
actorsguide.com/unions (accessed June 2012).
Creative Industries Mapping Document. London, UK:
Creative Sector Council. Investing in Our Creative
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (p. 2).
People. http://www.sectorcouncil.ca/node
(accessed June 2012).
10 Statistics Canada. 2007. Economic Contribution
of the Culture Sector to Canada’s Provinces. Ottawa:
Ministry of Industry.
11 North American Industrial Classification
22 CBC. 2011. Gaming grants restored for some
B.C. arts groups. March 24. http://www.cbc.ca/
news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/03/24/
bc-15-million-arts-gaming-grants.html (accessed
September 2012).
23 Global BC. 2010. BC restores $7 million in arts
(standards) used in Canada, the US, and Mexico
funding. October 27. http://www.globaltvbc.com/
by such agencies as Statistics Canada.
bc+restores+7+million+in+arts+funding/86905/
12 PricewaterhouseCoopers. 2009. Opportunity
story.html (accessed September 2012).
BC 2020: Creative Sector. Report for the Business
24PwC, Opportunity BC 2020, Figure 3.2 (p. 5).
Council of British Columbia.
25PwC, Opportunity BC 2020, Figure 3.3 (p. 6).
13 Statistics Canada, Economic Contribution to Canada’s
Provinces, Table 1.5 (p. 19).
14 Bernard Momer points out that NAICS does not
include tax credits, and thus BC figures may be
58
in Kelowna, British Columbia: An Economic Impact
contribution to GDP is that contribution to GDP
about-the-fbcw (accessed June 2012).
9
to Canada’s Provinces.
17 Momer, Bernard. 2010. The Creative Sector
Email to author from Executive Director of the BC
of British Columbia. http://www.bcwriters.ca/v2/
8
to Canada’s Provinces, Table 1.4 (p. 19).
16 Statistics Canada, Economic Contribution
(accessed June 2012).
bcid-professional-industrial-designers (accessed
7
15 Statistics Canada, Economic Contribution
26PwC, Opportunity BC 2020 (p. 18).
27 Grant, Peter and Chris Wood. 2004. Blockbusters
and Trade Wars. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre.
28 Conference Board of Canada. 2008. Valuing Culture:
artificially low. Ontario makes even greater use of
Measuring and Understanding Canada’s Creative
tax credits than BC, and that province also shows
Economy. Ottawa: Conference Board
low per capita government spending.
of Canada.
29 Brinton, Susan. 2012. From the Margins to the
36 Hartley, Matt. 2011. New chapter for Kobo as firm
Mainstream: Moving BC’s Creative Industries Forward.
sold to Japan’s Rakuten. Financial Post. FP Tech Desk.
Vancouver: Coalition of BC Creative Industries.
November 8. http://business.financialpost
(ABPBC, MABC, MusicBC, CMPA) (p.6).
.com/2011/11/08/new-chapter-for-kobo-as-firm-
30 Brock, Peter. 2011. 2010 Greater Victoria Arts and
Culture Sector Economic Activity Report. Victoria, BC:
University of Victoria School of Business (p. 2).
31 Ibid (p. 6).
32 Low, Duncan, and Peter Hall. 2011. The 2010
sold-to-japans-rakuten
37 BC Innovation Council. http://www.bcic.ca/
about-bcic
38 McElroy, Justin. 2012. Rockstar games closes
Vancouver video game studio. The Province. July 10.
Cultural Olympiad: Playing for global or the local
http://www.theprovince.com//technology/gaming/
stage. International Journal of Cultural Policy,
rockstar+games+closes+vancouver+video+game+
18 (2): 147.
33 Tara Books. http://www.tarabooks.com
34 Lee, Jeff. 2012. Vancouver to convert industrial
buildings into artists’ studios. Vancouver Sun.
June 12. http://www.vancouversun.com/Vancouver
studio/6912093/story.html
39Ontario. The Business of Culture: The Report of
the Advisory Committee on a Cultural Industries
Sectoral Strategy (ACCISS). Toronto: Queen’s Printer,
1994 (p. 16).
+convert+industrial+buildings+into+artists+
40 Ibid (p. 16).
studios/6769930/story.html#ixzz1yNHIHvoW
41 Best, Kathryn. 2012. Design as an enabler of
35 Ravindran, Manori. 2012. Five Vancouver field
change. May 18. http://kathrynbest.wordpress.
houses to become studio spaces. Vancouver
com/2012/05/18/design-as-an-enabler-of-change/
Sun. June 14. http://www.vancouversun.com/
(accessed September 2012).
technology/Five+Vancouver+field+houses+become
+studio+space/6785075/story.html#ixzz1yNIHY1Qs
references | 59
index
Abbotsford, 33
arts. See individual arts
BC Stats, 13, 17
aboriginal art and culture
Arts BC, 10
Best, Kathryn, 53
in Campbell River, 20
Art Starts in Schools, 34
Black, Iain, 49
as creative export, 6, 16, 19
Assembly of BC Arts Councils. See Arts BC
Board of Trade, 49
and economic dependency, 31, 47–48
awards, 11, 41. See also recognition for
book publishing
support for, 10
cultural production
actors, 11–12. See also performing arts;
as analogous to startups, 22, 24
and BC Media Development
theatre
Corporation, 21
advertising industry, 14, 16, 36, 47, 52
BC, natural beauty of, 16, 45, 50, 52
ebook. See ebooks
Alliance for Arts and Culture, 34
BC Arts Council, 5, 10–11, 21, 52
environmental concerns in, 40
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television
BC Business Council, 43
self-publishing, 22, 24
BC economy, general, 5–6, 14–15, 40, 51.
support for, 10, 11, 21, 41
and Radio Artists, 11
Anderson, Ann, 35, 50
See also creative economy; GDP,
Apparel BC, 29
cultural
Architectural Institute of British
Columbia, 11
BC Film Commission, 21
BC government. See also BC Arts Council;
architecture. See also landscape
architecture
Community Gaming Grants; Ministry
of Community, Sport and Cultural
association for, 11, 37
as creative profession, 5, 11, 31, 36,
37, 48
Development
cutbacks to culture. See cutbacks in
cultural spending
design as foundation for, 20, 25, 47
education in, 31
Tara Books, 33, 49
branding for strategic plan, 6, 22, 51–52
British Columbia Media Development
Corporation, 6, 21, 29, 49, 52
British Empire and Commonwealth
Games (1954), 21
broadcasting. See film, television, and
video; radio
The Business of Culture (Ontario), 42
existing cultural policy, 5, 6, 14, 20–21,
25, 40, 49
Armstrong, Peter, 22
inattention of, to creative sector, 5, 6,
art. See visual arts
25, 42
art galleries, 10, 13, 36, 41
artists and creators. See also individual
recommendations to, 17, 22, 28–29, 43,
51–52
artists and creators; specific types
spending in other sectors, 15–16
of artists and creators
support for culture, 5, 6, 17, 21, 29, 49
awards for, 11
support for education, 6, 17
contribution of, to community,
25, 47, 53
income of. See microeconomics of
cultural production
campaign for strategic plan, 6, 45, 47, 51–52
Campbell River, 5, 20
Canada Council for the Arts, 31–32
Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, 12
Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing,
5, 54
Canadian content regulations, 28, 42
BC Industrial Design Association, 11
CANSIM, 14
BC Innovation Council, 37
Cap Digital, 24
BCreative 2012 conference
Capital Regional District Arts Development
Day 1, 19–25
Service, 32
organizations for, 10
Day 2, 26–37
ceramics industry, 22
as policy advisors, 42, 52
presentations at, 10, 19–25, 26–37
The Cheaper Show, 52
space for, 6, 33–34
purpose of, 5
Chong, Ida, 21–22, 49
support for, 11, 41. See also artists
recommendations arising from, 51–54
cities. See municipalities, cultural initiatives
and creators: space for
60
take-aways from, 47–50
in; small cities
city planning, 6, 33, 34, 35–36, 47
clothing. See fashion industry
clusters, 9, 24, 28, 32, 35, 48.
See also “creative cities”;
municipalities, cultural initiatives
in; small cities
Cocquet, Patrick, 24, 49
creative exports. See exports, creative
and service
creative hubs. See clusters
creative industries. See also creative sector;
cultural industries
and BC Media Development Corporation,
28–29
commercial design, 13
in Canada, 28
community building, 21, 24, 25, 27, 36,
consultation of, for strategic plan, 28–29,
47–48. See also creative engagement
36, 42
Community Gaming Grants, 5, 21, 49
ecosystem. See creative ecosystem
computer games. See video game industry
employment in. See job creation
copyright, 9, 28, 41. See also intellectual
property
creative activity. See also creativity; specific
types of creative activity
within BC, 5, 6, 16
and community building. See community
building
as human pursuit, 10, 36, 37
public awareness of, 9, 20, 25, 42, 51
and employment
government support for, 6, 48
growth in, 17, 21, 28–29
infrastructure for, 27, 48
plan for. See strategic plan, creativity/
innovation
risk in, 24
creative professions. See also advertising
industry; architecture; design, general
cross-fertilization and. See creative
ecosystem; cross-fertilization
among subsectors
as defining element in BC, 6, 16–17,
51–52, 54
and the economy. See creative economy
encouraging, in BC, 37, 43, 45, 49, 51
examples of, in BC. See BCreative 2012
conference: presentations at
as focus of strategic plan. See strategic
plan, creativity/innovation
as human pursuit, 5, 9, 37, 39–40, 53
and innovation. See innovation
recognition for. See recognition for
cultural production
studies and data about, 12–14
training in, 22, 48
creators. See artists and creators
Crocker, Angela, 24
cross-fertilization among subsectors, 5, 12,
14, 16, 39
associations for, 11, 37
cross-subsidies, as regulatory tool, 42
Creative Beautiful British Columbia, 6, 51–52
at BCreative 2012 conference, 5
Cuevas, RozeMerie, 31, 48
“creative cities,” 35–36
contribution of, to economy, 36, 48
cultural GDP. See GDP, cultural
Creative City. See Culture Plan for Vancouver
design as foundation for, 31
cultural industries, 13, 21, 28, 42, 48, 53.
research and data about, 12–14
2008–2018: Creative City (City of
education in, 31
Vancouver)
exports of, 16
creative economy
creative sector
See also creative sector; specific
cultural industries
cultural knowledge. See creative activity:
activities of. See creative activity
and BC Arts Council, 11
in BC, 5, 9, 17
in cities, 9, 19–20. See also specific cities
Cultural Olympiad, 14, 33, 48
benefits of, 5, 9, 27
cross-fertilization in. See cross-
cultural participation. See creative
in Canada, 29, 32, 35
as focus of BCreative 2012 conference, 5.
See also BCreative 2012 conference
fertilization among subsectors
economy of. See creative economy
as ecosystem. See creative ecosystem
public awareness of
engagement; volunteerism
cultural production, 22, 24, 35, 37, 39, 45.
See also creative activity
global attention to, 9, 27
global, 9
cultural subsidies, 6, 41
government attention to, 9, 27, 49
growth of, 6, 9, 43
cultural tourism. See tourism, cultural
in Kelowna, 12
information about, 17, 42–43, 51
cultural trust, 25
lack of definition for, 43
infrastructure investment in, 6, 41–42, 52
Culture Days (Richmond), 33
in Newfoundland, 35
in Ontario, 24–25
Culture Plan for Vancouver 2008–2018:
in Richmond, 13
vs. other sectors, 14–15
in small cities, 5
social benefits of, 9, 39, 40, 45
Customer Development for startups, 24
strategy regarding. See strategic plan,
subsectors of. See specific subsectors
cutbacks in cultural spending, 12, 14, 21,
creativity/innovation
studies and data about, 29, 51
in Victoria, 32, 48
Creative Economy 2010 (UNCTAD), 27
sustainability in. See sustainability in the
and technology, 22, 24. See also
technology
training in, 6, 10, 16, 17, 28, 29, 31, 37
creative ecosystem, 16, 28, 39, 49. See also
in Vancouver, 34
cross-fertilization among subsectors
also volunteerism
33, 49
creative sector
Creative Economy Report, 2008 (UNCTAD), 27
creative engagement, 20, 25, 52. See
Creative City (City of Vancouver), 6, 43
dance, 10, 11, 31, 33. See also performing
arts
Dawson, Eleanor, 35, 50
Creative Sector Council, 12
Denmark, cultural initiatives in, 39
creativity. See also creative activity
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
benefits of, 5, 6, 9, 24, 37, 52
(UK), 13
index | 61
design, general, 14, 16, 37, 53. See also
specific design professions
developed nations and the creative
economy, 9
developing nations and the creative
economy, 9, 27
film, television, and video
Herbert, Spencer Chandra, 21, 49
government support for, 6, 17, 21, 25, 41
Holmes, Ryan, 19, 47, 49
as mediator between creators and
HootSuite, 19, 47
market, 36
in Ontario, 25
digital economy, 14, 24, 29. See also
technology
Helin, Calvin, 31, 47
contribution of, to economy, 14, 16
Hughes, Roger, 20, 47
Hughes Condon Marler Architects, 20
and “screens,” 5, 16
and technology, 22
digital games. See video game industry
Firehouse Theatre, 34
digital media, 16, 28, 29, 31, 48
First Nations. See aboriginal art and culture
Digital Media and Wireless Association
Florida, Richard, 10
of BC, 31
digital technology. See technology
Doherty, Linda, 22
incomes of cultural workers. See
microeconomics of cultural
production
food and wine industry, 14, 15, 20, 52
Indian Summer Festival, 33
From the Margins to the Mainstream
industrial design, 11, 37, 48
(coalition of BC creative industries), 28
Donaldson, Howard, 31
industrial support, 41. See also specific
support programs
dos Santos, Edna, 27, 49
Drew, Cameron, 35, 49
information and communication
games, video. See video game industry
Garrett-Petts, Will, 25, 47
GDP, cultural. See also creative economy
technologies (ICT), 9, 27, 49, 53. See
also knowledge-based industries
infrastructure
ebooks, 22, 24, 34–35
of BC, 12, 14, 15, 16, 29, 40, 43
investment in, 6, 17, 37, 48, 52
Economic Contribution of the Culture
of Kelowna, 12
in Paris, 24
Sector to Canada’s Provinces
of Ontario, 24–25
stable, for the creative economy, 21, 42
(StatsCan), 12
vs. other sectors, 14–15
technology, 17
economies, nighttime, 25, 48
of Richmond, 13
economy, BC. See BC economy, general
of Victoria, 32
in Vancouver, 34
innovation. See also BC Innovation Council;
Emily Carr University, 31
Geller, Michael, 20, 47
Empire Games (1954), 21
Gijssen, Jacqueline, 34
business-supported, 36, 49
employment. See job creation and
Giller Prize, 41
and creative professions, 48
global markets and international trade.
and creativity, 10, 37
employment; volunteerism
entrepreneurship in the creative sector, 29,
33, 37, 49, 52–53
See also exports, creative and service
and Canadian creative enterprises,
environmental impact
17, 35, 49
of the creative sector, 9, 27, 29, 31,
36–37, 40
growth of creative sector in, 6, 16, 27
creativity; R&D
as defining element in BC, 16–17, 52
education for, 48
government-supported, 17, 25, 29, 37,
41, 49
and low-cost labour, 5, 9, 53
in Ontario, 25
of the fashion industry, 29, 31
Ontario’s strategy regarding, 42
as part of strategic plan, 6, 9–10, 39–40,
of manufacturing, 9
as part of strategic plan, 39, 40, 52
of natural resource exploitation, 15, 16
Gollain, Vincent, 24, 49
of publishing, 28, 36–37, 40
government
51–54
intellectual property, 9, 13, 16, 27. See also
copyright
Expo 86, 21
BC. See BC government
interactivity and technology, 17, 40
exports, creative and service, 16, 19, 25, 29,
federal. See federal government
interior design, 20, 31
municipal. See municipalities, cultural
international trade. See global markets and
49, 52–53. See also global markets and
international trade
initiatives in
regulatory tools, 17, 34, 42
international trade
islands, creative activity on, 20, 52
support for culture, types of, 10–11,
41–42. See also specific support
Falkowsky, Todd, 22
programs
Fashion High, 29
Jakeway, Walter, 20, 47
fashion industry, 5, 29, 31, 48
Governor General’s Awards, 41
Jamison, Mark, 27–28, 48
federal government, 6, 10, 12, 28, 31–32,
Grant, Peter, 24
Jauk, Liesl, 33
41–42. See also Canada Council for the
graphic design, 13, 33, 36, 49
job creation and employment. See also
Arts; Statistics Canada (StatsCan)
Gros Morne National Park, 35
Federation of BC writers, 11
Gulf Islands, 20, 52
volunteerism
in all sectors, 15
62 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
in BC, 5, 12, 15–16, 21, 29, 40, 43, 53
municipalities, cultural initiatives in, 5, 9,
Plank Magazine, 24
in Kelowna, 12–13
12, 24, 29, 45. See also small cities;
planning. See city planning
in Newfoundland, 35
individual municipalities
policy, cultural. See also specific policies and
in Richmond, 13
museums, 10, 11, 21
studies and data about, 5, 12–13, 15,
music
29, 32
in Victoria, 32. See also labour
and BC Media Development Corporation,
21
programs
in BC, and branding, 22
in BC, existing, 5, 6, 14, 17, 20–21, 49
in BC, lack of, 5, 6, 14, 20–21, 25, 40
contribution of, to economy, 14
in Canada, 28, 32
education in, 31
foundations for, 27–29, 36–37
Kamloops, 5, 20, 25
government support for, 6, 10–11, 21, 42
global, 27
Kelowna, 12–13
as part of creative ecosystem, 16
as government support, 6, 41–42, 43
knowledge-based industries, 9, 14. See
and technology, 22
in Paris, 24
as separate from economic policy, 17, 43
also information and communication
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) study
technologies (ICT)
Kobo, 34–35, 49
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 29
NAICS. See North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS)
National Magazine Awards, 41
natural beauty of BC, 16, 45, 50, 52
labour. See also job creation and
employment; volunteerism
low cost of, in global marketplace,
5, 9, 53
as resource, 19, 25
NDP, BC, 21
Newfoundland, 35, 50
nighttime economies, 25, 48
North American Industry Classification
System (NAICS), 12, 14
Lean Startup, 24
12, 13–14, 16
recommendations arising from, 17, 37
private investment into culture, 42, 43. See
also venture capital
professional creative subsector. See
creative professions
public ownership, as regulatory tool, 42
engagement
Landry, Charles, 35–36, 49
Leanpub.com, 22, 24
on economic impact of creative sector, 6,
public participation. See creative
Lam, James, 32, 48
landscape architecture, 11, 20, 31
awareness of, 43
Olympics (2010), 21, 33, 43. See also
Vancouver Cultural Olympiad
Ontario. See also Ontario Media
publishing, general. See also book
publishing; magazine publishing
contribution of, to economy, 14, 16
Left Right Minds, 24
Development Corporation (OMDC);
environmental impact of, 40
Leung, Diana, 34
Toronto
government support for, 6
Lidstone, Anna, 22
The Business of Culture, 42
Low, Duncan, 33, 48
as competitor to BC, 17, 39, 40
cultural initiatives in, 5, 24–25
as mediator between creators and
market, 10, 36
and technology, 17, 22, 24
GDP of, 24–25
macroeconomics of cultural production. See
creative economy
magazine publishing, 24, 27–28, 40, 41, 48
Magazines Canada, 27–28
manufacturing sector, 9, 14, 15, 25
Manzoni, Massimo, 25, 48
government support in, 12, 24–25, 40
and Robert Sirman, 31–32
Quebec, cultural initiatives in, 39
Ontario Media Development Corporation
(OMDC), 21, 24–25
Opportunity BC 2020, 43. See also
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) study
R&D, 25, 29, 41. See also innovation
Radical Entertainment, 40
radio, 11, 14, 16, 42. See also music
Masters of Digital Media program, 31
Rakuten, 35. See also Kobo
McGrane, Allyson, 24
McIntyre, Julie, 22
Paris, cultural initiatives in, 5, 24, 49
Ramos, Jun, 31, 48
Men’s Fashion Week (MFW), 31
Paris Region Economic Development
Rao, Sirish, 33, 49
Metro Vancouver. See Vancouver
microeconomics of cultural production, 13,
22, 29, 48, 51
Agency, 24
Pennefather, Patrick, 31
performing arts, 11, 13, 14, 32, 33. See also
recognition for cultural production, 37, 41,
48, 51, 52. See also awards
regulatory tools, government, 17, 34, 42
Milobar, Peter, 20, 25, 47
actors; dance; film, television, and
resale right, 22, 41
Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural
video; theatre
research and data
Development, 21. See also Chong, Ida
Momer, Bernard, 12–13
photography, 14
existing, 12–17, 32, 42–43
Piggott, Judi, 12, 22, 48
need for, 29, 42–43, 51
index | 63
Richmond, 5, 13, 33
Tara Books, 33, 49
Ries, Eric, 24
tax credits, 25, 28, 40, 41
Rockstar (video game company), 40
technology. See also information and
communication technologies (ICT)
space in, for artists, 6, 33–34
video game industry in, 40
Vancouver Art Gallery, 22, 34
Vancouver Board of Trade, 49
access to, 16
Vancouver Cultural Olympiad, 14, 33, 48
Salish Sea, islands of, 20, 52
commercialization of, 37
Vancouver International Film Centre, 34
Salt Spring Island, 52
in the creative sector, 17, 22, 24, 27,
Vancouver Playhouse, 22
“screens,” as government focus, 5, 14,
35, 36
education in, 17
22, 39
Varga, Scott, 33
venture capital, 19, 24, 29, 40. See also
self-publishing, 22, 24
in the global economy, 6, 16, 24
service exports. See exports, creative
infrastructure, 17
Victoria, cultural initiatives in, 5, 24, 32, 48
interactivity of and engagement with,
video game industry, 5, 14, 16, 17, 21, 40
and service
SFU. See Simon Fraser University (SFU)
SFU Contemporary Arts, 31
SFU School of Communication, 33
17, 40
presentations at BCreative, 49. See also
HootSuite; Kobo; Leanpub.com
Shadbolt, Doris, 22
textiles. See fashion industry
Simon Fraser University (SFU), 5, 21, 31, 33,
theatre, 10–11, 31, 34, 41. See also
54. See also individual departments
performing arts
Sirman, Robert, 31, 49
Thorne-Stone, Karen, 24
small cities, 5, 19–20, 25. See also clusters;
Tirana, cultural initiatives in, 36
municipalities, cultural initiatives in
Smith, Richard, 31
fashion industry; photography
aboriginal. See aboriginal art and culture
awards, 11
contribution of, to community, 25, 32,
52, 53
tourism, cultural
galleries, 10, 13, 23, 36, 41
social cohesion, 5, 9, 40, 47, 54
strengthening, through the creative
Soucie, Katherine, 31, 48
and video
visual arts. See also ceramics industry;
education in, 10, 13, 31
in Newfoundland, 35, 50
engagement; volunteerism
video industry. See film, television,
Toronto, 24–25, 34. See also Ontario
social capital, 5, 9, 36, 39, 40
social engagement. See creative
private investment into culture
sector, 5, 6, 9, 17, 21, 45
and the Vancouver Cultural
Olympiad, 33
government support for, 10–11, 41
volunteerism, 5, 13. See also creative
engagement
voter awareness. See creative activity:
public awareness of
sports development, 48, 51
startups, as analogous to publishing, 22, 24
Statistics Canada (StatsCan), 12, 14
strategic plan, creativity/innovation. See also
unifying discourse regarding culture
branding for. See branding for
strategic plan
campaign for. See campaign
for strategic plan
UNCTAD. See United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Underhill, Owen, 31
winemaking, 20
Winter Olympics (2010), 21, 33, 43. See also
Vancouver Cultural Olympiad
unifying discourse regarding culture, 42–43
Wood, Chris, 24
Union of BC Performers, 11
World’s Fair (Expo 86), 21
United Nations Conference on Trade and
World Trade Organization, 29
Development (UNCTAD), 5, 27, 49
features of, 6, 9–10, 40, 45, 53
University of the Fraser Valley, 33
framework for, 39–41, 43, 47–50, 53
urban planning. See city planning
need for, 6, 14, 16, 21, 29, 42, 51
urban/public spaces, 20, 35–36. See also
Straw, Will, 25, 48
Zabolotney, Bonne, 31
city planning
structural intervention, 41. See also
copyright; intellectual property;
regulatory tools, government; tax
Van, Sung, 33, 49
credits
Vancouver. See also Culture Plan for
subsidies, cultural, 6, 41
Vancouver 2008–2018: Creative City
support, types of cultural, 10–11, 41–42.
See also specific support programs
sustainability in the creative sector, 11, 28,
32, 35
(City of Vancouver)
cultural initiatives in, 6, 33–34
livability of, 40
and Plank Magazine, 24
64 | Dreamcatcher: Towards a Creativity/Innovation Strategic Plan for British Columbia
Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing Press
Simon Fraser University, Faculty of Communication Art and Technology
2013
is Director of the Publishing programs and the Canadian Centre for Studies in
Publishing at Simon Fraser University. He is Professor of Publishing and has participated on boards and
executives of a number of national organizations in Canadian studies, communications and book and
magazine publishing. He has served as a consultant for the Canada Council, Magazines Canada and four
different governments or provincial publishing organizations in Canada. His Mass Communication in
Canada textbook is now in its 7th edition. His most recent publication prior to Dreamcatcher was his
August 2012-published book Ultra Libris: Policy, Technology and the Creative Economy of Book Publishing
in Canada, (Toronto: ECW Press).
Rowland Lorimer
Publishing @SFU
Minor in Print and Digital Publishing
SFU Publishing Workshops
Master of Publishing Program
Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing
www.sfu.ca/publishing